PACIFIC RIM - Titans in Sadera
by NRF
Summary: In Year 36137, the Gate opens in the middle of Central Park in New York City. Needless to say, they were repelled by Jaegers and the United Nations Defense Force, and a blockade has since been built around the structure. Soon after, the UNE decided to send an army to the other side of this portal to confront the Empire, and thus, the Jaegers fought in Sadera.
1. Invasion of New York

**/After some consideration, this story will go under rapid rewriting. Duration is unknown.**

* * *

In the years since the Third Kaiju War in 2090, Earth has enjoyed a long period of peace. Resources and territories were no longer a cause of conflict, as the kaiju wars essentially forced the advancement of technology, and before long humanity built a space fleet, reverse-engineered portal technology from the Precursors used to travel to planets and systems far from Earth for colonization and resource mining, as well as put aside the petty differences which splintered humanity from one unified community altogether.

Since then, the United Nations of Earth has become the central government of humanity. Jaegers and effectively the PPDC have become the main military force of the United Nations Defense Force, and the world was at peace.

Then, in 36137, another breach opened, this time in space, bringing forth envoys from the center of the Galaxy, inviting humanity to join them in the already sprawling Galactic Alliance. Well over ten thousand years have passed since humanity integrated into the greater galactic community, but now beset by war against the dominant Carrogan Empire, humanity was caught unaware by a newly formed breach on Earth itself.

But unlike other instances, it was on land, and what came out were not multi-ton silicon-based lifeforms known as Kaiju; they were humans who resembled the soldiers of Ancient Rome. Unknown to these soldiers, however, was the might of a species who survived titanic horrors with monsters of their own.

In that same war instigated by the new arrivals from beyond this Gate, is the legend of the Titan Caller.

* * *

2:30 AM, June 24, 36137 (Earth time)

Outer Arm of the Milky Way Galaxy

"Fire!"

Keth Malkor, the Zathuran Admiral of the Zathuran 8th Fleet ordered another volley of Antimatter shells to be fired at the Carrogans' Bioships. Seeing the effect these shells had from the viewport of his ZAF Dhurnam Hypercarrier, he saw fit to order another upon reload.

The elder admiral remembered precisely how this war started: A small recon craft landed on Coruscant at the beginning of this millennium, arrogantly demanding that the Galactic City of Coruscant be given as a tribute to their Empire's eventual conquest of the Milky Way Galaxy. As one would expect, Jehovah the Emperor refused, but offered them a place in his alliance.

What they did next had started the war: they detonated their bioship and infected at least sixteen blocks of Galactic City, causing millions to lose their lives in days, prompting the Jehovah, leader of the Nalzaeds who originated from Coruscant, and ultimately the rest of the galaxy to declare war upon the Carrogans.

Since then, for the last century plus, the galaxy has been at war; and while the Galactic Alliance has been able to maintain their borders, it was by no means cheap, and the hive-minded nature of the Carrogans had only made them tougher over the last century.

In the opening minutes of intercepting this fleet, five of his ships, 2 Cruisers and 3 Destroyers, were penetrated and detonated by Carrogan molten acid, which was highly effective at the alloys used for the Zathuran Fleet. Now, after several hours of engagements his 600-ship strong fleet has been reduced to a 293.

"Detonation confirmed! ZAF Pauvis has been lost!"

_292_, Keth noted, seeing one of his carriers turn into a floating cloud of scrap.

"Admiral!" One of his officers caught his attention. "We've detected a rapidly approaching ship! IFF signal identifies it as belonging to the Third Order!"

"The Third Order?"

Nalzaed Society revolves around Five 'Orders' so to speak. The First Order represents the Emperor and his close aides; the Second Order are comprised of politicians; the Third Order are comprised of warriors; The Fourth Order handles exploration; and the Fifth Order is commonly associated with polymaths.

That meant that whoever has a Third Order beacon is a Nalzaed warrior and de-facto commander of any armed force they are assigned to.

"Hail the ship!"

A holographic projection of a light-skinned black-haired humanoid, with strands of white in some places appeared in front of Keth. "This is Admiral Keth. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Greetings Admiral. I am Matias Cox of the Third Order. I'm here to assist."

"While any assistance is appreciated, I can't see how your starship will be enough to beat them back."

"That's what they think."

In the instant after, some hundreds of ships, all of them with a silver finish, emerged from superluminal velocities, each bearing a mark that denoted a solar system.

"The UNDF Fleet?!"

"The entire Armada."

* * *

Matias rose from the seat of his minor starship, named the Ascalon, as he opened a direct channel to all arriving ships, specifically the Aerial Mobile Shatterdomes.

"Launch all Jaegers!"

Already, several of those massive mothership-sized behemoths opened up their hatches, allowing well over a hundred metallic giants to start flying towards the invasion fleet.

Moments later, Matias stood behind his seat and spread his arms apart as both sides hit the wall behind it.

Immediately, the wall opened up and armor began to form on his body; it was solid white with streaks of green. Once it was done, he was dropped into a hatch below him, which put him inside the Con Pod of one Rogue Tarragon, colored in the exact same way.

"Warning. Secondary Pilot not detected. Safety protocols engaged."

"Override protocol. Cox, Matias Lugh, 361100511."

"Override accepted."

Moments later, the stellar reactor that is the heart of Rogue Tarragon activated, and soon he was released from beneath Ascalon, using his Jaeger's underfoot and back boosters to fly into battle.

"Admiral." Matias stated, just moments before ramming into the closest unengaged Bioship. "Begin charging the Magnetic Disintegrator Cannon. Target the main mothership."

"Not with its Refractive shielding; they'll just blast it right back at us."

"I'll deal with it."

By then, Rogue Tarragon had thrusted his left fist into the ship, immediately knocking it off course as he used the newly formed crack to expose its crew to the outer void. The Jaeger then opened up its chest to deliver a direct blast of laser into the ship, aimed in the general direction of its power core before leaving it for the next.

This time, Matias activated the swords on both of his Jaeger's arms, puncturing and ripping apart the ship in seconds before making a beeline for the mothership, now the last one around. A quick shot from a free and aproaching Jaeger told him that its refractor shields are down.

"Matias! That ships is spooling up for FTL. We need that opening!"

"What's the MDC charge at?"

"82%, and climbing."

"Copy that." Matias immediately switched channels to contact all Jaegers. "All forces, fire mid-range detonation plasma torpedoes at is engines."

Having dedicated to surrounding the Carrogans, the ZAF-UNDF combined fleet fired upon their enemy in successive volleys, damaging its hull enough for Matias to zoom inside. He felt no resistance from the ship, most likely because there was nothing short of a warship's battery, orbital defense platforms, another Jaeger or a Nalzaed's complete power that could harm a Jaeger, which allowed him to move straight towards the Central core, and cleave a path directly into it.

"Line of fire is clear, Admiral. Let it rip!"

Seconds later, a red beam of pure energy blasted from the center of the Zathuran Admiral's Hypercarrier, ending the most recent incursion by the Carrogan Empire.

* * *

11:20 AM, June 24, 36137 (Earth time)

Coruscant, Galactic Center

"Let me get this straight. You piloted a full-sized Jaeger BY YOURSELF?!" Clark Avery stated, having just arrived from the local UNDF Garrison stationed on Coruscant. Per the usual for the one known as Matias, he rallied the support of basically the entire UNDF Orbital Fleet stationed around Coruscant, defeated the potential invasion fleet from the Carrogans and came back with fewer casualties for all parties involves, sans the Carrogans. "The Alliance and UNE would reprimand you for reckless action and potential abuse of power, but they can't deny your results."

Considering that these two were Jaeger partners as per standard PPDC, now Pan-Galactic Defense Corps after well over a thousand years since introducing non-humans and expanding their operations beyond the Earth, they were friends by word and somewhat brothers by mind.

"The fact that I'm half-Nalzaed gives me a lot more neural capacity than the average human. You know that, Clark."

"That doesn't change that you are still Half-Human. because of that, you're stuck in physical form; your powers are limited to physical feats only; heck, Nalzaeds at your age can already build Jaegers with their minds!"

"I can also outlive you, by several thousands of years."

"That I cannot argue."

They would continue to bicker even all the way back to Earth.

* * *

Despite being well over a millennia since the city was established, New York City still held extreme importance in the now-sprawling United Nations of Earth. As the capital of humanity, countless livelihoods are essentially decided by the policies of the Earth Senate. Having just received time off (although he suspected it to be an excuse to distance him from the battlefield for a while), Matias was heading back home towards Gramercy.

At least, he would have, had a breach not been detected in the middle of Central Park.

NYPD has already formed a perimeter around the park with their Minigers (Mini Jaeger, most of which are produced for civilian use and public safety, or in the UNDF's case onsite tactical support for the full-fledged Jaegers), each of them 12 meters tall standing in front of the non-armored police, just as Matias approached them.

Upon his first assessment, it was already obvious that it was not the Precursors who opened this breach; why would they put an Ancient Greek-era structure around it? Considering the size of the Kaiju, even the smallest one would not fit through this 30 x 20 meter opening.

One of the officers noticed him and saluted him.

"At ease, officer. The PGDC is sending over Cardinal Phoenix just in case." Matias looked to his left, seeing a vacant NYPD Miniger. "May I?"

"Of course. Go right ahead." The Officer, named Edgar, stated.

The Miniger's systems wasted no time to boot up, just in time as numerous figures stepped out. They were mostly human, but others that came through with them looked less human, moreso like the demi-humans of any fantasy story ever written.

When enough of them passed through, the one who seemed to be their leader shouted an incomprehensible phrase, and began to charge.

Matias and co. didn't need any orders to know what to do.

* * *

Since the Second Kaiju War in 2076, the PPDC has commissioned the construction of airborne Shatterdomes, literally supermassive spaceships carrying dozens of Jaegers each, in patrol over the skies of Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and every human-controlled planet.

Jaeger booster fuel relied on the extreme reactivity of Kaiju blood to rare earth elements. Such a discovery kickstarted industries who synthesized Kaiju blood, and its mass production only helped to deploy these Jaegers to any location on their host planet in less than an hour, in a process people affectionately call, which later became its main calling method, Jaegerfall.

After the Third Kaiju War in 2090, the UNE have also made efforts to widen and reinforce every major road to be big enough for Jaegers to walk through them. It at least helped to reduce collateral damage whenever Jaegers fall from the sky every now and then for deployment.

Near the coast of New York City, in the Atlantic Ocean, was the mobile Shatterdome known as the UNDF _Dart_, where a massive red-silver Jaeger known as Cardinal Phoenix, itself standing at 290 feet tall and weighing 7450 tonnes stood inside Bay 16. Already, its pilots Tamara Gilbert and Vicky Alya were inside the Con Pod.

"UNDF _Dart_, this is Cardinal Phoenix. Ready for action."

"Copy, Cardinal. Standby for Jaegerfall."

The hatch above the Jaeger opened, and then its own thrusters activated, propelling the metallic behemoth into the skies and towards New York. The two pilots stayed still as autopilot set a course for them to land directly inside Central Park.

Once it did, NYPD eyed at the machine momentarily before resuming fire on the invading Roman army, or some legion of soldiers that resembled such. Cardinal Phoenix began to fire plasma bolts from its shoulder-mounted turrets, shooting down any of those wyverns alongside UNDF Air support. Said soldiers didn't even try to think what manner of weapons such a massive golem could use before they either surrendered or frantically attempted to run back through the gate.

Before long, the invaders were no more.


	2. Arrival to Alnus

"This attack, however unconventional, will not be tolerated. My people have had our fair share of wars, but this is downright ridiculous."

Standing above her chair inside the Galactic Alliance Conference Chamber is Laurel Harrison, the Alliance's representative of the United Nations of Earth. An emergency session was initiated when news of a Breach had opened up on Earth. Given that the last instance back in Earth's 21st Century had led to the near destruction of human society, even the Emperor is in attendance to make his decision.

"In the aftermath of this attack by the military arm of the country we've currently identified as the Saderan Empire, NYPD has confirmed civilian deaths numbering at 60, injured in the hundreds, and an equally large number of people missing. We can only assume that they are now beyond the breach."

"I'm afraid we are unable to help, Laurel." The Zathuran representative stated in response, somewhat knowing her proposal after her last, "Our people's ability to conduct expeditionary efforts are at an all-time low with the last Carrogan invasion attempt."

"01010010 01100101 01110011 01101111 01110101 01110010 01100011 01100101 01110011 00101110 00100000 01010101 01101110 01100001 01110110 01100001 01101001 01101100 01100001 01100010 01101100 01100101 00101110" A Svatol spoke in their language, immediately translated into English as: "Resources. Unavailable."

"If need be, the UNE can handle this issue on their own. We only require approval from this Conference to declare war." Laurel could immediately see the shifting faces of the thousands of other representatives, each representing any world from a major superpower to minor sovereign states; she waited for a moment before someone else made their voice heard.

"In respect to your people and my condolences, but I'm not sure if we can approve of any war beyond what we already have against the Carrogans." The representative from the Katoris Confederacy mentioned. "I don't think it is necessary to mention, but the entire reason this conference exists is to promote peace and alliances; if we approve of a war in the interest of enacting revenge, then we as an alliance of common interests has failed its intentions."

Everybody in there knew how fragile peace is in any society; as a matter of fact, several seats inside the conference were unoccupied because their assigned species was in a state of civil war, has declined to attend, or outright extinct because of war.

In fact, the reason why the Alliance was still in power were because of the Zathurans, who provide the bulk of its military, the Nalzaeds who literally own the planet the Alliance is headquartered at, the Ovolk who are often the diplomats necessary for any settlement, and the humans, with their Jaegers and tenacity.

"A valid point, representative Lysul. Even so, my people are demanding justice for those that they have lost, as well as immediate recovery of our nationals." Laurel slowly sat down before continuing, "And we cannot return empty handed, lest our people lose faith in this council."

"The Emperor shall appoint agents."

Most if not all representatives looked towards the seat near Laurel and the Zathuran: Athena, the appointed Nalzaed representative in the alliance and daughter of one of the Emperor's close aides.

"He understands that the United Nations of Earth cannot, and will not let this incident go. If this alliance is afraid that humanity's next war will be for revenge, then let a member of both the Second and the Third Order make sure that it does not." Athena looked around to see that most of the conference had changed their decision. "By the will of Jehovah, under the condition that the UNDF are accompanied by members of the Second and Third Order, the Nalzaeds will support their war. Any who agree, make your vote known now."

She raised her hand, and well over half of the chamber's occupants raised theirs as well.

* * *

Matias tended to avoid anything formal, unless it was related to the current war, or his duties.

One could actually count the number of times he has worn the sacred garments of the Nalzaed people, which were white, blue and gold in pattern. The few times he had bothered to wear them were during his public inauguration as the first half-Nalzaed to become a member of the Third Order, as well as his induction into the PGDC as its honorary member.

This time, he forced himself to wear it because of who he kneeled towards: The Emperor himself.

"Matias Lugh Cox. Knight of the Third Order." Jehovah spoke in a commanding voice. "Have you acquainted yourself with the decision of the alliance?"

"I am aware that you have appointed Gallant Vanar of the Second Order. But your choice from the Third Order, I am uninformed."

"That shall be you."

"...Me?" Matias readily questioned, knowing his relative impotence in the Order relative to others of his age.

"Two years ago, I knighted you, because I have seen your dedication to the alliance, your people and the galaxy. No doubt any other Nalzaed could've done the same, but it your very mortality that has given your people and others hope in a future beyond the Carrogan incursions."

Matias, now seeing the path which the Emperor has set him upon, rose to his feet.

"You and Gallant shall act as emissaries; advocates of my will and beacons of trust that I have put into humanity. Serve me well."

By then, he had only bowed in acknowledgement, and promptly left to make preparations.

* * *

10:00 AM, September 11, 36137

It was just weeks ago that the Saderan Invasion of New York happened, but already Central Park, where the Gate had appeared, was fortified with prefabricated firebases, and the Gate itself . Such a sight greeted the Third Order Knight as he walked out of the Ascalon, clad in his custom-tailored PGDC armor. Once entirely out, the Ascalon dematerialized and left behind a PDA, which Matias attached to his wrist armor moments after.

He made his way into the armory, where Clark, alongside twenty-two other Jaeger pilots, were suiting up as part of the first wave of UNDF soldiers sent to cross the Gate. All of them were in the process of getting into their skinsuits, as well as strapping onto themselves a boost pack, which after activation applied a nanite-built exo-armor over their bodies.

Clark noticed his friend approaching and spoke, "Matias? You're our agent?"

"As it would seem." Matias raised his left gauntlet. "Ascalon's with me, as is Rogue Tarragon."

Then at the back of his head, Matias felt another Nalzaed approach his location. He walked out to greet his Second Order counterpart.

"Gallant. I see you have accustomed yourself to the UNDF."

"As much as possible with the amount of time I had." Gallant handed over a datapad to Matias, which showed informaiton on eleven of the UNDF's soldiers: which included ten infantrymen and one PGDC member, which he identified to be Clark. "I've negotiated with the five Generals. They're willing to give you command over 3rd Recon."

"That is...Ideal. Thank you, Gallant." He handed back the datapad as the diplomat went back to where he presumed the generals to be, and made his way to the one he identified as his second-in-command.

"Colonel Leo Tarasov."

"Matias Lugh Cox." The bulky Russian grasped his hand the instant he offered it. Matias noted that he had more grip strength than the average human.

"You're augmented?"

"Reinforced skeleton. Makes it nearly indestructible." Leo gestured to his forelimb. "Command has assigned you as leader of 3rd Recon. I'll be your second in command." He saluted to the Third Order Knight, and Matias returned the gesture.

Both of them then noticed the rapid assembly of the mingling soldiers, so they parted ways, with Leo joining the others and Matias to the line of Minigers in the back, as they were the only Jaeger class small enough to fit through the Gate's opening; any full-sized Jaeger will have to either be assembled on the other side, or transported via AMS spacecraft whenever they can manage to pinpoint their location via a homing beacon. The assembled UNDF army that stood in front of the blocked Gate entrance with tanks, trucks, APCs, LAVs, as well as several disassembled Jaegers carried by trailers would, in most non-Kaiju engagements, be enough to ward off many of the Galaxy's armies, and the Saderans are about to face a fragment of the UNE's power.

A single man accompanied by several suited individuals then stood in front of the massive doors which covered the Gate. Matias only caught a glimpse of who it was, and it was none other than the President of the United States of North America himself: Eric Collins.

"Good morning. About a month ago, New York City was threatened by a force that, while outdated by our standards, still produced civilian casualties, as well as the deaths of several officers, all who died in the line of duty."

Murmurs, no doubt directed towards the Saderans, circled around.

"But their sacrifice has helped to delay the invaders long enough for the UNDF to respond and push them back to their world. We know very well what war can do to us. And while we are reluctant to start another, in midst of the Carrogan Invasion these Saderans have forced our hand. In light of that, we have mobilized the UNDF and the Jaegers: Cherno Omega, Crimson Maelstrom, and Gipsy Berserker, among others to combat the Saderans and force their surrender."

This caused them to cheer, and the President continued, "We shall show these people what it means to enrage Earth, a world who has CANCELLED THE APOCALYPSE!"

By now, Matias and the other 23 pilots have entered their Miniger. As the cheers continued, soldiers entered their assigned vehicles while the massive doors blocking the entrance to the Gate opened.

At full opening, the President, faced the UNDF soldiers and gestured his thumb behind him, and they raced to enter the dimensional portal.

* * *

On the other side of the Gate was a massive army, totaling at 60 000 soldiers.

All of them stood tall, despite it being night, with their eyes directed to the black void. Then, it wasn't.

Periodic thumps originated from inside the Gate. It was soon dotted with lights. Soon enough, every soldier, centurion, and demi-human realized what those retreating soldiers of the advance army meant by giant golems.

Matias piloted the Scavenger, which spearheaded the Miniger platoon. He drew a cannonsword from behind his Scavenger, then began to fire at the rapidly approaching mob. None of the Saderans' armor had provided even the slightest bit of protection as both plasma and metal melted and penetrated their ranks. Any who managed to survive had either a massive sword go through them, or were punched into oblivion, not to mention shot down by covering fire from other UNDF soldiers and vehicles.

If two armies charging at one another was a battle in Sadera, what the UNDF was doing to the Imperial Army must be redefined.

Matias, however, got bored, and while exiting any Miniger is often considered a terrible idea, he had the benefit of being a half-Nalzaed.

As soon as the hatch opened, he shot himself forward, grabbing onto a swordsman's head to slow his speed, and then threw him at another soldier.

The next one to approach attempted to rush Matias with a spear while hiding behind a shield, which did nothing to stop Matias from destroying the spear from the tip using two fingers, destroying the shield in one punch, then landed another punch on his chest armor, the force applied enough to crack all the bones in his torso.

As if sending him a challenge, a wyvern rider swooped down, hoping to land a hit on Matias with his spear.

That never happened, with him easily dodging the strike. Matias quickly moved to his Miniger, which up til that point was on autopilot. The neural connection between Matias and Scavenger had made the Miniger grab and throw Matias into the air, on an intercept course with the wyvern rider.

The startled wyvern rider didn't even have time to recover from the impact as Matias applied a lethal blow to his neck. The imperial soldier fell off, and Matias then commandeered a wyvern. The beast initially attempted to throw off its imposter rider, but Matias asserted part of his Nalzaed strength, which had then compelled the wyvern for the time being.

"Matias to all UNDF forces. I have commandeered an enemy wyvern. Check for IFF tags when aiming at air targets." And thus Matias conducted anti-air warfare against his enemies.

Wyvern riders of the Saderan Empire had hardly received any anti-air training, presumably because they had little to no resistance against any of their adversaries.

Retreating soldiers had babbled about airborne enemies, but were readily dismissed when they mentioned them being wingless and in swarms of over a thousand.

Nothing could have prepared them to face Matias as he fired upon the other wyvern riders from his own. Without their riders, the wyverns began to fly away, or simply attempted to land, which appeared to Matias as an act of submission to him.

What was left of the Imperial army were in shambles as the actual main force of the UNDF emerged from the Gate, and the few imperial soldiers that saw fit to desert their positions have long since left.

* * *

When morning came, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus had a hard time believing the messenger.

"24 golems the size of giant ogres, and staves that spit fire? Are you sure you're not hallucinating?"

"Yes, your majesty."

As one would expect from the senate of an empire which never lost, several senators had voiced for another attack in an attempt to retake Alnus Hill. The Emperor, however, sat silently, contemplating on his next move. If this continues, and news spreads to the outlaying kingdoms, the Empire would be under siege by the same powers they subjugated generations ago. If he calls upon the strength of the Allied Kingdoms under the guise of repelling an invading force, there is no doubt the newcomers would be more than enough to handle them, but are there any potential backlashes?

Soon the debate, or rather it would be more accurate to call it an argument over a hundred different voices, would most likely end in bloodshed or extreme division; at that point, even he could not hear himself think, and gesture his hand.

"Call for the Allied Kingdoms. The continent is at risk of an invasion force. The time is now to unite and strike back!"

All the senators cheered at the declaration.

* * *

Wyverns: the newest addition to the UNDF.

The flock of four dozen wyverns, all of which had submitted to Matias, were now flying above the rapidly-constructed base, or perched on one of few hastily set-up feeding stations, each manned by a few volunteers. Due to the myriad of creatures and monsters that inhabit the galaxy, and with humanity's former, albeit short history with the Precursors, parts of the UNDF stationed on said worlds have employed the local wildlife to assist in their endeavors.

While a few short weeks was not enough to ensure complete loyalty, some UNDF soldiers have already adopted the wyverns as part of their squads, with some attempting to breed more.

Matias had been called to the watchtower near the edge of the fort-under-construction. Given that he was flying with Merlin, the same wyvern he commandeered the day he and the army arrived, he opted to have him fly over there.

Upon arrival, Matias had Merlin perch upon the reinforced part of the railing, where he dismounted and hopped down to Clark.

"Do you have to bring it everywhere in the base?"

"Merlin's a he, and he is quite docile compared to the rest of his flock." The wyvern gave a growl in response, apparently directed at Clark for calling him an it, something he apparently disliked even during his former tenure as part of the Empire's wyvern corps.

"Well, that can wait. Look at this." Clark handed Matias a pair of binoculars, which he pointed into the direction of an apparent wall of humanoids. "I can't believe that after all that, they still have the gall to send another army towards us." Clark stated as he looked to the long line of armor marching towards them.

"I think you're mistaken, Clark." Matias called out to his partner, himself using a pair of binoculars. "Those flags aren't Imperial."

Clark snatched the spare pair of binoculars next to him, and saw the same thing. He then turned to his wrist-mounted computer and pulled up a list of flags specific to this new world the UNDF began to call Fantasia. After a few moments of cross referencing, he recognized whose armies those were. "Elbe, Mudwan, Alguna, League Principality, basically all satellite states of the Saderan Empire."

* * *

The recently built UNE command building housed commanders assigned from each of the five permanent UNESC nations: USNA, NRF, CRA, ERG, and FRA.

As far as reputation goes, USNA General Gabriel Long was among the oldest of the five there; he was highly regarded for having survived behind Carrogan lines in the Kepler System under siege by the same alien species with only five other soldiers until reinforcements drove them off.

Speaking upon the Carrogans, who are still a point of resentment by most human commanders, the NRF's General Vakhrov Gaspar Leonidovich was known to have personally ripped one apart in one of their attempted incursions on Earth in his youth.

For the Chinese Republic of Asia, they've assigned General Xun Kang, who had essentially worked his way from the outer colonies into fame on Earth.

From the European Republic of Germany, Admiral Gisela Jonas commanded great respect from her soldiers, having led UNDF Naval forces against hostile incursions from less-than-amicable alien races, some of whom were extinct at this point because of numerous conflicting moralities with a majority of other species.

Finally, for the Federal Republic of Astra, an inter-system nation, they've sent Admiral Kamilla Nielsen, who led the Republic of Astra to victory against insurrectionists.

All five of them were looking at a holographic projection of the base's immediate surroundings.

Thanks to the numerous interrogations done by human and alliance interrogators, they had deciphered the Saderan Common Tongue, uploaded the information to all Universal Translators, as well as give themselves a basic understanding of the political sphere of Fantasia.

All that information still doesn't help that the people of this world are brutal, maybe even more so than Earth ever was in the old era.

"They're sent here to die." Xun outright stated, as if anyone could see otherwise at the moment. "If we know any better, the Empire probably sent them here to reclaim their Holy Hill."

"It would seem, Xun. What should we do then?" Kamilla questioned, but she herself hinting at a peaceful resolution.

"Those armies are planning to attack us as we speak." Gabriel pointed out. "Shall we send a warning?"

"Perhaps a Jaeger can convince them." Gisela suggested, turning to Vakhrov, who nodded, "Cherno Omega has been reassembled as of last hour. I'll give them the command."

* * *

Had it been any other day, these soldiers of the Allied Kingdoms would be drinking in expectation of their victory in the day to come, when they purge the hill of invaders and further advance their invasion of the other side.

On any other day that is.

King Duran and the other 20 or so regents of the Allied Kingdoms went outside their tent when massive tremors on the ground struck their location. Even more concerning was when forward scouts reported about giant body parts laying in an open field.

The sight before him drowned out any possible doubts he had of the scout's sanity.

A literal metal titan stood at the edge of their encampment. There were no words for them to appropriately describe the Jaeger, as it spoke in Saderan.

'Leaders of the approaching army. This is Cherno Omega of the United Nations Defense Force. Our purpose here in your world is not dominion, nor is it extermination, but the Saderan Empire itself. Leave now, and be spared.' After that, the massive titan began to walk back towards Alnus Hill.

King Duran had no doubt in his mind that there was no way anyone on the Continent, or the gods themselves even, could defeat such a being. But if the Imperial Army is not here, then that means...

* * *

Duran's assumptions have been correct. At dawn the next day, he had journeyed to Alnus Hill alone, him also witnessing two other titans, one Blue, and one Red, alongside the Green one from yesterday. He could've sworn he caught a glimpse of even more titans in pieces as he journeyed up to the UNDF base and met with their commanders.

The Empire didn't send for the Allied Kingdoms to reclaim the Holy Hill; that would have been impossible even if only the titan was defending it. No, Emperor Molt Sol Augustus sent them to Alnus to die, undoubtedly in a hopeless campaign against the otherworlders.

'I will withdraw my armies along with the others. We shall leave your hill immediately.' Duran stated directly to the five commanders, whom he realized were from five distinct nations.

'That would be ideal, your majesty.' Said the one with the white-blue-red color scheme flag. His tone of voice, despite being spoken from a silver brick, matched that of the green titan. 'But we must ask for a favor.'

'And what would it be?'

'Information. I'm pretty sure you're well aware of its importance in any war.' the one with the multi-striped flag stated. 'While we speak truth in that we wish for your kingdom and every other sans the Empire to remain neutral in this conflict, we are also seeking to find any citizen which may have been taken by them in their failed invasion.'

Duran had probably thought for several minutes on end before accepting the proposal before leaving the UNDF commanders.

Without wasting any more time, he made haste back to his camp, and from the perspective of the UNDF, the Allied Armies have left them unscathed.

* * *

Days later, the AMS _Avenger_ had begun its operations in Fantasia, with its current mission being to send Jaeger support wherever needed. Already the ship had 7 working full-fledged Jaegers ready for deployment, with five more ready by the end of the week. And with seven Jaegers ready, UNDF Fantasia Command has also issued the official formation of seven recon Squads. Per UNDF regulation, each Recon Squad of 12 members will have two PGDC Rangers as part of the team on the off-chance a Jaeger is needed.

Matias woke to the sun of the unexplored world of Fantasia. He recited a simple mantra repeated and memorized by those of the Third Order:

The sword is my hand, and I am the will;

The mind is my sanctum, and my body the tool;

There is purpose in life, and freedom in death;

In Chaos and Order, I exist to balance.

Soon after, Matias met up with Clark and Leo, both of whom had waited in front of his assigned bedroom in the base.

"When I was given command of 3rd Recon, I did not expect myself to be escorted by both friend and second-in-command on the first day."

"First and Second Recon have already left for their respective routes. We're actually late."

"...Oops." Matias had then realized that they were meant to assemble at around 6 AM relative to their region to maximize daylight, which was foiled by Matias and his extended flights with Merlin.

Said wyvern was waiting alongside the nine other members of 3rd Recon right outside of the main command building.

Matias approached Merlin. "I'll be back, Merlin. Make sure to keep everyone safe."

The wyvern responded by pushing his head forward, pressed against Matias until he flew away, allowing him to approach the next member.

"First Sergeant Krymova Kirillovna. An engineer like yourself is always a welcome sight."

The Russian smiled back. "Matias, Knight of the Third Order. I've always wondered how powerful you guys actually were."

"You will find out whenever we're in combat." He moved to the second First Sergeant. "Siegfried Eulenburg. Tracker and survivalist. You self-sustained on a death world for several months as a graduation test."

"Ready to conquer this one as well, Herr." The German responded.

Matias smiled before moving on to the next in line. "First Sergeant Martin Sacher. I will trust you to keep us fed in the event we are cut off from HQ."

"You have no need to worry. I am fully capable." The German emphasized his omnitool on his utility belt.

"Captain John Kotch." Matias faced the Astran male. "Can I confirm you are Jaeger-capable?"

"I have been assigned as Clark's secondary partner in the event you are unavailable. That is my confirmation."

Matias nodded as he moved to the next in line. "Specialist Kelvin Lennox."

"Yessir!"

"I appreciate your enthusiasm. Does your Threat Scanner work as intended?"

Kelvin immediately activated it and pointed towards Matias. "It reads you at Threat Level 5. Everyone else is at 2 or 3."

"Alright." He moved onto their assigned medic. "Specialist Lian Ruogang. The battlefield needs as many healers as it needs warriors. Your presence is welcome."

"Thank you, sir."

"Specialist Idar Roys." Matias slowly eased to the next. "An antimatter grenade has yet to explode."

"That's because it has yet to accumulate the set antimatter."

He nodded before continuing to his Corporals. "Corporal Xiao ZhenKang and Yngve Helberg. I trust both of you to still exercise caution in vehicular operation. We don't need any casualties via reckless driving."

"Of course."

"You don't need to tell me."

"Hm?" While Matias didn't mean to intimidate the Astran, the one in question had taken to reprimand herself and attempted to salvage the situation.

"Oh! I mean-"

"Sorry, sir. Yngve was actually demoted from Master Sergeant because of a near-fatal collision in the Mojave Campaign. She's still hung over about it." Xiao informed Matias, quelling any other theories in an instant. Yngve almost looked thankful that she didn't clear up the misunderstanding herself.

"I see." Matias then focused on Yngve. "While I am certain that you will refrain from any actions that will put us at risk, I do ask that you deal with your problems when not on duty."

"Understood, sir."

Realizing that he has talked to everyone in the squad, he began. "Right. As you all are aware, I am Matias Lugh Cox, Knight of the Third Order. As part of our first mission, we will conduct recon operations and survey any local settlements we come across. Do not attack unless provoked. Let me make it absolutely clear that we are here to search for any kidnapped citizens and bring them home, not to enact revenge upon the Saderan Empire. And until further notice by Alnus Command or a higher power, these will be our maxims when operating in Fantasia. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yessir!"

"Alright." Matias noted, glad that there were no major problems yet. "Move out!"

Now driving an L802 LAV, an M56 APC, and a single Miniger on wheels, which followed closely behind the APC, 3rd Recon departed from Alnus.


	3. Dragon Attack

Speeding down a dirt road was an L802 LAV, an M56 APC, and a Miniger of 3rd Recon.

Their current destination was a frontier village discovered by an X-06 Valkyrie aerospacecraft. While it is true that no amount of soldiers currently under the Empire, or any nation on the Continent of Falmart at this instant could do any sizable level of interference, the UNDF would prefer a recon team be just that: a recon. A frontier territory such as Coda Village, the name identified via intact imperial maps and the ones in the making, would have little to no Imperial presence, especially since all soldiers were called to attack them on the hill just days ago.

It was barely noon when 3rd Recon reached Coda Village. The electric engines of their vehicles have helped to conceal their vehicles' approach, and of the twelve that made up 3rd Recon, it was Matias, Siegfried and Kelvin that approached the village.

"While I am somewhat confident that I could counter any threat we may encounter in this world, an abundance of caution is always welcome, I say."

"I can't agree more, sir." Kelvin stated, having kept up his Threat Scanner since he left the L802. "The scanner says that all lifeforms nearby pose a level 1 threat. The villagers included."

"No soldiers? No fighters? Nothing of any threat level?"

"Well, there are two signatures slightly removed from our location, scaling in between Threat Level 3 and 4."

"Type?"

"A mixture of psychic and energy."

Matias made a mental note to remember his relative vulnerability, as any entity at Threat Level 2 would be considered as augmented or highly intelligent, 3 would mean generally higher lethality, and 4 and above meant strategic-class threats. While officially at Threat Level 5 due to his enhanced strength, speed, durability, reactivity and whatnot, Matias would have been considered a Threat Level 6 had it not been his half-human heritage limiting his immediate skillset and powers.

That meant nothing when compared to his father Lugh, who stands at Threat Level 8, which is comparable to several fleets of warships in destructive capability, and Jehovah himself at 10, whose psychic powers and mere thoughts puts system-destroying weapons to shame.

"Pinpoint those signatures and send a priority message to Command and the other recon teams. This planet may just prove to actually be dangerous."

Kelvin nodded, and began to talk into his earpiece as Matias spotted some of the villagers eyeing him.

Matias slightly motioned to his PDA, just remembering that he rematerialized Rogue Tarragon to be serviced at the Avenger. He was beginning to think otherwise.

He rapidly deduced that his PGDC armor, as protective as it was, would be alarming for anyone of this world, so he enacted several mechanisms built into the armor that rematerialized it into a greyish version of the Nalzaed clothing he wore weeks ago.

_At least this one's a temporary overlay__._ Matias slowly approached the villagers, flicked on his Universal Translator, and spoke. 'Hello, my name is Matias. I am a Knight of the Third Order. May I speak to your elder?'

* * *

The Elder, Louis, had not seen weirder days.

It was just minutes ago when he was asked for by an odd-looking man, whose clothing suggested a title of Priest, King, or God even. All three theories were quickly debunked when he introduced himself as a Knight. He supposedly claims that he and his friends are explorers from a distant land, and are in need of some immediate knowledge of their surroundings.

_This man, Matias, is not who he seems to be at first sight__._ Now the same man was looking all over the interior of his house as he searched for those maps he stashed away.

'We don't get that many travelers in this village, Sir Matias. What brought you to us?'

'I don't suppose that you've heard about the Gate?'

And there it was, where the Elder froze to his core. Citing his knowledge on military tactics due to his previous involvement with the Imperial Military, he was sometimes sent ahead of the actual army as scouts, sometimes even as preemptive strikes. Those instances also often involved rape, pillaging and the burning of entire settlements even if its inhabitants complied to the scouts' demands.

And with the news of the Gate opening on Alnus Hill, the defeat of the Imperial Army, and the apparent retreat of the Allied Kingdoms, it was only a matter of time before scouts, such as Matias in front of him, would come. He had his ways around combat, he was certain, but with Matias' stature? The man looked like he could wage battle against an entire legion and still win.

Seeing all that he had done in his youth would now fall upon Coda, he had to at least minimize the damage they could potentially do.

'I don't intend to ransack this village, Elder.'

And all that mental buildup to assume a slightly hostile stance to dissuade any looting and harm was immediately replaced by shock, for disclaiming his thoughts if not for making his intentions more unknown.

'...What?'

'Your stature the instant I mentioned the Gate suggests that you are aware of the Imperial Military's state of being and its discipline.' _Or lack thereof_, having noted the few that escaped the NYPD encirclement to have attacked, murdered, and also kidnapped people, specifically women and children, 'and your facial muscles hint fear. Not for yourself, but the village. It stands to reason that you think we'll destroy everything that is Coda Village.'

Matias shook his head a few times. 'No. We intend to ask about your local culture: economy, government, religion, customs, and the like.'

And all that shock turned into bewilderment, then immense relief when he realized no falsehood in his tone, that or he is well versed in acting.

* * *

**Several Hours later...**

Matias held open the door of the Elder's house, letting himself and said Elder out of the construct as they both went to the archway that announced Coda Village's name to any travelers.

'Thank you for your time, Elder Louis. I hope I haven't stalled you from your duties by keeping you so long.' Unlike when they first made contact, the Elder was much more cheerful and arguably more open to the visitors. Already, they could see the Miniger, as piloted by John, slowly chasing a number of kids while they were laughing. He looked right to find Krymova helping out one of the villagers in what seemed like bales of food, smiles on both of them.

Matias turned back to Louis, who in time stated, 'You are no bother, Sir Matias. I wish you safe travels.' As far as he was concerned, the apparent otherworlders, these Men in Blue as they came up with, were much more peaceful than the imperial soldiers.

Matias had bowed in return, and the Elder, already used to the humbleness of the Knight, did the same before both of them parted ways, Matias moving to Leo as he spotted him.

He flicked off the Universal Translator before talking, "While I have nothing against the entire squad revealing themselves to the village, what did happen?"

"Some of those kids John is currently chasing went into the woods looking for those green, Hjornus-looking goblins to hunt. Siegfried volunteered, and actually rescued the kids from those goblins." Leo leaned to his ear, "And then he found an ogre."

"I presume you sent for John?"

"He ordered himself to take it out." Leo laughed, seeing how the Captain had based his actions upon what is right instead of orders from a higher authority. "Came back with the kids and Siegfried, and we've been helping since."

Matias smiled and gave a nod of approval, then began to walk to the LAV. "The elder's told me about an elf settlement in Koan Forest." He brought up a holographic copy of the maps Louis had showed him earlier. "Right around here. That'll be our next destination before setting up camp beyond it. Send word."

"Right away."

He was about to move straight to the LAV before he felt something: A tinge of divine potential. According to the ramblings of the numerous imperial soldiers they have taken prisoner, there were such things as Gods and apostles, mortals recognized by the gods and given the chance to ascend into Godhood, in Fantasia. There were people just like that in his home galaxy, himself among them. He looked in between two houses and saw a petite girl with blue hair and a long staff at hand.

Matias and the girl locked eyes for a few moments before one of his men called for him, and thus he departed.

* * *

After they departed for Koan Forest, much of the recon team had taken a relaxed stance. Matias himself was checking in with Gallant, who went with 2nd Recon in their journey to establish diplomatic contact with the Elbe Kingdom.

"The Kingdom's miniscule compared to the Empire, no surprise there, but we have encountered several of those ogres on our end as well."

"I guess we could note their presence as recurring?"

"Definitely. I'll be joining the King in a banquet soon. I'll send an update when able."

"Of course."

Gallant's projection faded just as the smell of smoke began to fill his lungs. Matias moved his head to the front of the LAV, intending to ask about the smoke's whereabouts when he too noticed the increasingly large plume of smoke behind the mountain. They stopped on a cliff overlooking the forest, and began to survey what the cause could be when a deafening primal roar originated from the center of the massive fire; its source: A Dragon.

"Kelvin, do a scan on it." Matias ordered. The Specialist took from his pack a threat scanner, which was standard equipment at this point, and reported a result. "It says Category III, sir. Equivalent to a Threat Level 5, borderline 6."

"Well, it seems that those Jaegers would see action at some point." Clark stated from behind Matias.

Matias focused his eyes on the monster, noticing several critical weak points before formulating a plan. "Clark, John, in the event that we are to face that monster, call your Jaeger support, and I'll distract it until it gets here."

"Are you mad!?" John in his Miniger stated, pointing his cannonsword towards the burning parts of the forest.

"This is not up for discussion." Matias quickly noted, then realizing his chances to not be as bad as it seemed with its damaged eye, something that most documented Kaiju had no problem recovering from.

Another roar was heard as the dragon rose from the tree line, prompting everyone to train their weapons onto it, and both Ranger hovering their fingers upon their right forearm, just a touch away from calling in their Jaeger.

Matias made a stance, preparing to jump up and John immediately behind him and prepared to throw him towards the monster in the event it decided to attack right there and now.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case, and the red behemoth flew into the night sky.

* * *

Morning came, and what greeted them was not the usual sight of lush forests teeming with life; it was a hellscape of charred remains and everything burning. 3rd Recon's only consolation may be that they have multiple means to defeat such a thing.

"We've informed every other recon squad out there of the Dragon. Rogue Tarragon will be deployed to your location upon command."

"Copy Avenger." Matias finished. Having a Jaeger prepared for deployment at any moment is usually reserved for Kaiju Wars, but considering that Category III or higher equivalents of such Kaiju apparently roam Fantasia, nobody could argue.

"Sir. We've surveyed the structural remnants. We think this was the settlement the Coda Village elder was referring to." Idar stated albeit running to Matias' location.

"I'm more concerned with the number of deaths that occurred here."

"We also surveyed that. The number of houses remaining and general household sizes in Fantasia suggest at least a hundred lost souls."

The statement cause Matias to put his hand to his face while while groaning, apparently because they could've done something if he moved out yesterday and not wait behind like they did. He was just about to move out until Kelvin radioed in.

"Sir, my scanner's picking up lifesigns. Weak, but belonging to a Threat Level 2."

His entire group then went towards where the First Sergeant was, which was right above a well. He also shone a light down into it, only to find a blonde girl with pointed ears.

* * *

Tuka was barely conscious, a direct result of being drenched in water on top of being hungry.

The Flame Dragon had taken everything she knew, and she hoped that her father would come on top of the well an save her.

She heard another thing drop from above. Said thing, or rather person, put her on its back before they were both rapidly dragged out of the well.

Before she completely lost consciousness, Tuka caught sight of the man who carried her out: A raven-haired blue eyed man with fair skin.

* * *

'WHAT!?' Was the only thing Louis could say when the Men in Blue came back to the village talking about a flying beast that breathed fire.

He hoped that it was hearing things, but the detailed projection of the beast had caused him to order an immediate evacuation of the village.

'What of the elf?' Matias asked.

'I'm afraid we can't take her in, Matias.'

'Why?'

'We ourselves have to evacuate. When monsters like the Flame Dragon taste human or elf flesh, it will not stop until it is satisfied."

Matias noted the same fear he displayed yesterday, for those of his village. He had no doubt of his intentions.

'We'll help you evacuate, chief.'

Louis looked thankful as he began to run, Matias following close behind, 'I am grateful for your help, Man in Blue. Now quick, help me with my carriage.'

* * *

Inside the forest, and relatively far from most other houses of the village was the Sage Cato El Altestan and his apprentice Lelei La Lalena.

For the last few hours and the night before, she kept on thinking back to the raven-haired blue eyed man in what appeared to be an expensive garment, the kind only nobles or kings would wear, yet is a knight.

She sensed a tinge of power, divine in origin, in that man just as she was returning from washing himself from the nearby river and back to her master's house. It's as if he was a God incarnate, unlike apostles who had another god's power as an enhancement. She disregarded such thoughts to make sure of their survival and continuity against the arriving Flame Dragon, which was getting less likely at the moment as the horde of books and materials her master had inside his dwelling filled their cart near the point of collapse under all that weight.

'Master, we cannot fit anymore.'

'Lelei, can't you do something about it?'

'Leaving behind the Koum seeds and Lokde pears would be an option.'

'Then we'll do exactly that.' Then her master began to grumble. 'There shouldn't be any Flame Dragon activity for another 50 years. Why now...?"

'We are ready. Please ride.'

'Eh? Why would I ride you? I ain't interested in children! On the other hand your sister-OW!'

Having been annoyed, Lelei employed several volleys of wind magic and threw balls of the compressed matter at the perverted old man.

'HEY, STOP IT! MAGIC IS A SACRED ART! DON'T ABUSE IT!'

* * *

Lelei had to use magic despite Cato stating magic was sacred just moments ago, which didn't help either way when they were stuck in a line of carriages.

Both Lelei and Cato were fidgeting, more due to nervousness than annoyed at the congestion, simply because of the Flame Dragon.

'What's going on?' Cato asked a passing villager.

'Sorry for the trouble, Sage Cato and Lelei. An overloaded cart up ahead broke its axis and is blocking the road.'

It was then, Cato and Lelei heard them.

"John, you have the Miniger. Use it to move the cart."

"Copy."

'I don't think I've heard that language before.' Cato could only stare as these people in dark blue clothes raced forward of the line of carts. "Or those clothes." Lelei added.

"Lian, I need a medical assessment of those injured. Krymova, see if you could repair the damaged cart."

"Understood!"

'They're soldiers? Are those women among them?' Cato asked out loud, then realizing Lelei had hopped off and rushed forward to the front.

Then she bore witness to the Miniger. It was currently holding up a cart, as a child would a toy.

_These soldiers, the same ones from yesterday__? Where are they from?_ Lelei thought. She would've continued to think if not for the horse that threatened to trample her to death. That would've happened, had it not been a sudden and massive amount of force that shifted her position from in front of the horse to several meters away.

Matias had held loosely onto Lelei and let her go after he snatched her away from certain death by horse stamping; he was arguably too far away to restrain his strength to human levels. Meanwhile Siegfried quickly moved to control the horse before it caused any more harm.

"Cart fixed. Lay it down, John."

The golem whom the female soldier called John stopped holding onto the cart, and began to move away.

_They saved me_.

Lelei looked up to the man, the same one who she felt a god's aura from, holding out his hand, apparently intending to pull her up.

Matias also seemed to have noticed the girl to be the one he felt divinity from, as he helped her up.

'I apologize for my rough handling, miss...?'

'Lelei. Lelei La Lalena.'

'Lelei La Lalena. Certainly a unique name. I am Matias Lugh Cox.'

'Matias...'

Both of them looked into each other's eyes, neither of them intending to break contact, until Leo slapped Matias on the back.

"Hey! No daydreaming, not when time is of the essence!"

"Sorry, Colonel." Matias stated, quickly nodding to Lelei before rushing back to his men, leaving behind the young mage to quickly memorize the man's name.

'Matias...' She wondered what she felt at the moment.

* * *

Bandits.

The bane of civilians and traders alike.

They live by a simple creed, and that is Kill, Steal, and Rape, exclusively in that order.

Naturally speaking they would kill each other for the spoils of their plundering, but the one thing holding them together is the promise of even more spoils. Say for example, a convoy of villagers who are fleeing from the Flame Dragon.

Inside of their village, they had the relative advantage of knowing the land, but outside? They are unguarded. They would live for weeks with the food they carried, spend like nobles with the money they had, and have who knows how many women for enjoyment. The bandits would prosper, all because of an early awakening.

That is, if they had survived.

A lone figure in black wielding a massive axe laughed as she cut down these mongrels from where they sat.

She was Rory Mercury, and she was on a journey to Alnus Hill, where a great battle took place just days ago.

* * *

On another dirt road was the Coda Village Convoy, and leading them was UNDF Fantasia 3rd Recon.

Since Command has been informed about the Dragon, which by size alone matched a Category III Kaiju, the _Avenger_ has been on high alert. In order to help the refugees, several supply drops have reached the recon squad, which included Anti-Kaiju Missile Launchers, portable forearm-mounted shields, and a massive quantity of food and medical supplies.

Given that there were no immediate problems, Matias sat at the passenger side of the LAV, intending to achieve a meditative state, even temporarily. Before he actually fell into his self-induced trance, he thought back to Lelei, specifically that divine power he felt.

"Leo. You have command."

"Matias? Where are you going?"

"To investigate." Matias made his intentions clear as he exited the LAV and started to walk backwards of the convoy to where Lelei and Cato was; the overloaded unpitched single-donkey carriage was relatively easy to spot.

Lelei herself noticed Matias' arrival, by what means she herself can't tell, but she didn't let that bother her as Matias synchronized his walking speed with her carriage.

'Hello, Lelei.'

'Hello.'

'If you don't mind, I would like to ask you and your master several questions.'

'Go ahead' Lelei noted, followed by Cato's, 'Alright. What is it you inquire?'

'Do either of you possess any sort of ability that the average individual would not?'

'As mages, we are capable of magic and the many uses that come with it.'

'...Magic?' He had to think back to the fact that psychic and mutant powers were treated as witchcraft and wizardry in Earth's ancient times, and most likely had equivalents among the millions of other sentient species known in the galaxy. Genetic mutation would most likely take hold here, and with the local population living under the breath of monsters like the Flame Dragon, a least for the people of Falmart, he would think that the entire Fantasian population would have adopted somewhat uniform capabilities overtime as a means of survival. Yet, if that is so, and presuming that Darwinism applies here as it did back home, why haven't they?

_We'll have to ask for a Philosopher of the Fifth Order to figure this out,_ Matias thought, before returning to the conversation, 'Interesting. Can I ask for a short lecture on this magic?'

'You speak as if you don't have magic where you're from, Man in Blue.'

He immediately remembered that his PGDC armor, since the greyish Nalzaed overlay was not applied at the moment, was shown at this moment with blue pigments.

'Well, in our society, technology is magic.'

'...What?'

'Well-'

"Matias. Sorry to bother you during your investigation, but we have a slight issue with our current road."

He bit back the feeling of irritation, knowing that he could always return to ask later, and responded while the two mages watched.

'Is he talking to himself?' Cato stated after a while. He readily noticed that all twelve members of the Men in Blue often talk to themselves, and he was beginning to think that they were insane.

'I don't think so, master.' Lelei noted, having noticed the moving pictures on the pad on his left forearm.

Matias quickly turned back to Lelei and Cato. 'Sorry. My team need me. I'll ask again when I have the time.' Then he quickly dashed to the front of the convoy, kicking up dust into the air as he accelerated.

* * *

Directly in their path was a petite girl in black gothic clothing.

"Of all things that I expected to see in this world, that was not among them." Clark stated.

Matias, who had just reached the front, leaned onto the frame of the LAV, quickly noticing the massive halberd leaning on her. She started to move, manipulating the weapon with ease as she approached him and the squad.

"We may have a problem, sir." Kelvin stated, "Scanner says this girl's Threat Level 5. Physical type."

The half-Nalzaed tensed up the instant he comprehended that. While the Threat Scanner is, at best, a rough estimation of any individual's capabilities, it still provided information on said individuals accurate enough to estimate risk of engagement. The answer to a monster the size of that Flame Dragon is often a Jaeger, and those can reliably take down entities up to Threat Level 6, or 7 if they were pushing its capabilities to the limit.

But something at Threat Level 5 in a humanoid form? That is something that needed Nalzaed powers to match, and Matias was the only on there. Yet any sense of immediate danger to themselves and the village convoy was dispelled when the children in the back of the LAV rushed out to the girl.

Louis came up front from his carriage, which was immediately behind the Miniger, and appraised the situation. 'Ah! That's Rory Mercury, Apostle of Emroy. I had the honor of meeting her several decades ago.'

'Sorry to ask further, but to which god is she the apostle to again?' Knowing the nature of gods, Leo literally next to an effective demigod at the moment, he had to know what to expect from her patron deity.

'Emroy the God of Darkness, War, Death, Violence, and Insanity. Quite the handful by name, I say.'

Barely processing that, Matias had only just noticed the girl standing next to the head of the LAV, questioning their origins and apparently interested in riding the 'horseless carriage', which somehow translated to sitting on Leo's lap, who has been in the passenger side of the front row since Matias left.

"Hold up." Leo pushed on Rory, 'Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to get off-HEY! DON'T TOUCH THAT!'

* * *

In the skies of Falmart, eight X-06 Valkyries sliced through the air at supersonic speeds. Their mission was to survey the continent they resided upon, map out points of interest, as well as potentially pinpoint any instances of Kaiju, which has been proven to exist by the Dragon 3rd Recon discovered.

So far they've found a massive Scorpion, an ultrasonic call from the sea, likely a seaborne Kaiju, as well as, no surprise there, other instances of Dragons.

Colonel Kajima Masaru, whose codename inflight was Silver 1, voice over the coms system to the _Avenger_, "Avenger, this is Silver 1. We've surveyed the East portion of Falmart. Coming home."

"Negative Silver 1. 3rd Recon has just requested Jaeger deployment. You will have to provide us a live feed of their situation and beam it back to us. Only engage when you are certain you have a clear shot."

"Copy." Kajima replied, noticing how the other seven X-06s lined up next to him. "Silver Squadron, activate sublight engines on course to 3rd Recon's position."

It didn't take long for the fighters to approach 3rd Recon's location, as they can tell from the red blip in the distance.

"3rd Recon, this is Silver Squadron, how is your situation?"

"I say in chaos, but we have it under control."

"How so?"

"Well, Matias is...literally punching the monster at this instant."

"...Um...Come again?"

* * *

While there were some unfortunate casualties in the first moments of the Dragon's arrival, subsequent plasma bolts and lead bullets from any free hand on the LAV and APC, as well as the APC's 75mm Cannon has drawn its attention.

Its attention was further drawn when a humanoid gripped onto a scale on its face, and began to punch hard enough to actually make it flinch.

"I CAN'T MISS! WHAT'S WRONG, DRAGON? SOMETHING IN YOUR EYE?"

The rest of 3rd Recon fired upon the Flame Dragon as it comically rammed its face into the ground after several attempts at clawing Matias off, only to have the same guy land the same high-powered punches on his back.

Immediately the dragon flew upwards and twisted around, which would have thrown Matias off, had it not been for the grappling hook attached to his belt.

Meanwhile, on the APC, Idar handled the Anti-Kaiju Missile Launcher, who like the rest of the squad, has limited their shots to short bursts as the dragon thrashed, tossed and turned to the point where they either miss, or land a shot on the Dragon at the risk of hitting Matias.

"I can't get a clear shot!"

"That won't be a problem Jaeger support is here. Hopefully Matias can last long enough-"

All of them spotted the half-Nalzaed in question being flown into the air and bathed in flames.

The villagers were absolutely terrified, and the apparent death of Matias had only added to their fears. The general idea of a Dragon, which everyone in Falmart at this point has agreed upon, was that Dragons were not simply stronger creatures, but a force of nature; there was no way any human, elf, or country could destroy it; even an apostle would have a problem killing one. You'd have be a god to do so.

Then a massive fireball came into their view and landed, causing a great quantity of dust to rise.

When they could finally see through it, there was a massive titan of white and green. On the shoulders of this titan which stood as tall as the Flame Dragon, although Falmartians couldn't understand it as of this instant, was an eagle with a star in between its wing tips, and above its head.

It was Rogue Tarragon.

* * *

"Oh, I missed this." John proclaimed, having just entered and began Jaeger operation. A readily present problem with onsite Jaeger deployment was the time needed to get into said Jaegers, which was solved when all Rangers were given standard-issue jetpacks to traverse the full height of a Jaeger in a matter of seconds.

"That makes two of us." Clark stated, the two of them then swiped their arms to the sides. "Now let's show this fire-breathing lizard why we call these things Jaegers!"

Then, Rogue Tarragon charged forward. So did the Dragon, and when the Jaeger got close enough, it threw an elbow-rocket assisted punch to the left side of its face, forcing it down to the ground.

Unseen to the pilots' eyes, its tail came in for a swipe, which knocked the Jaeger on its torso and pushed it left. The Dragon followed up with an attempt to slash its armored chest, but was blocked by Rogue's right forearm, followed by a left uppercut.

Its pilots shifted one of its arms to a plasma caster, yet the few shots it has done were nulled by the scales. For a moment, the Dragon looked proud and utterly smug that the blast did nothing other than slightly knock him back.

"Fireproof?" John noted, changing the plasma caster back into arms. "We'll just beat it."

The Dragon began to blast fire in Rogue Tarragon's direction, the Dragon's hubris preventing him form realizing that Rogue Tarragon's fist had just connected to the side of its face. With the Dragon concussed, Rogue raced to grab the Dragon by its top jaw.

In a last-ditch effort, the Dragon started to bite onto Rogue's left hand, as well breathe fire onto it, its limbs too short to do anything else.

Rogue's method of finishing it off involved grabbing onto its neck and starting to pull, eventually ripping of the dragonhead from its body.

Any villager still alive and watching this was at a loss of words.

The metai titan then released his hold on the Dragon head, and looked to the villagers.

For Lelei, she felt as if a god was looking down upon her, and only did she look up to its head did she notice the streaks of silver swords in the sky above them.

For Tuka, she noticed that the Dragon which killed her friends was now dead itself.

For Rory, perhaps for the first time in a few generations, she was intrigued by this group.

"That never gets old."

All the villagers, Lelei, Tuka, and even Rory looked to the source of the sound, finding Matias leaning next to the stationary LAV.

"...How...did you-" A villager asked, albeit in a fragmented manner, as Matias knocked on his blue armor.

* * *

It is Nightfall.

Any villagers whose bodies were even the slightest bit discernable from ash was buried. There were no words. Considering Fantasia's status as a fairly underdeveloped world, a 150-casualty was staggering. There, the UNDF tilted their heads down in prayer, as did Rory, and even the Jaeger.

Parts of Matias wondered how despite having a Galactic population of well over 10 Trillion, the deaths of less than a thousand can still leave an impression on him like it did.

Soon afterwards, a convoy of T446 trucks plus their own Minigers came to pick up any elders, children and injured, whom which the villagers are forced to leave behind.

'You must be thinking how heartless we are, but at this point, we only have enough to take care of ourselves. All we could do is leave them to fate.'

'I won't pretend to know what hard choice you had to make, elder.' Matias stated, now having his Nalzaed overlay in display. He reached to the back of his pocket and held it out. 'Elder, in the event that you are in need of assistance, press the red button on this device.'

Not expecting any more from the Men in Blue, Louis was left in shock even as he accepted their trinket, his final words before leaving to his cart being, 'We thank you, soldiers of the Yuu-En-Dee-Eef.' Matias could tell from his eyes that he only had gratitude.

He and every self-sustainable villager left in the convoy began to leave, parting ways as the UNDF waved them goodbye.

Once out of sight, Matias issued his order. "Matias to 3rd Recon. Time to go home."


	4. Curious Refugees

11:30 AM, October 16, 2137

Part of the issue with having a deployed Jaeger is keeping it safe immediately after the battle. Hence, in the middle of the night, after John and Clark departed from Rogue Tarragon's con pod, Matias had the Jaeger dematerialize and stored inside his PDA, earning the awe of any villager still awake, before they all went to sleep, a direct result of spending the entirety of yesterday moving.

By next morning, Lelei was the first inside the LAV to wake up, and what greeted her first in the morning was a window frame, and through it a massive flying fortress, which was high enough to look like part of the sky.

As if she had received an adrenaline boost, Lelei bolted up from the pillow she rested on and glued herself the window, then realizing that there was also periodic thumping. She looked left, in the direction of which the vehicles were moving, and saw a massive beige-brown titan with massive rods on his arms; it was followed by several flying chariots which spewed blue fire from its wing tips. She looked even further to the light-grey structure up ahead, where it seems that another titan was being assembled.

Given time, every other local inside the moving vehicles looked on, marveling at the massive titans in sight, as well as the flying ship, even Fort Alnus itself when they stepped out of their transport.

In front of what seemed to be the command center of their fortress, an entire line of poles flew the flags of the UNDF, the PGDC, and apparently every other country that had military representation in the fortress.

Their minds could only repeat to themselves that this UNDF was truly of another world.

* * *

As soon as 3rd Recon returned to Fort Fantasia, or Fort Alnus, or simply just the Fort, Matias made a beeline to the War Room, where the current General-in-charge Gabriel coordinated recon forces as well as reviewed UNDF Kaiju wartime protocols.

"Well, thanks to you, we've identified the presence of Kaiju on Fantasia. Also thanks to you, we now have justification to keep the Jaegers here."

"Pleased to be of assistance." Matias noted. "But that's not why I'm here, is it?"

"No it's not. Me and the other generals have assigned you to refugee duties."

"...Run that by me again?"

"Under Kaiju-related wartime protocols, any individual that lives under the threat of said Kaiju are classified as refugees, and are to be treated accordingly." Gabriel brought up a holomap of their surroundings, the Fort at the center of it all. "Under those guidelines, all of them are refugees. I won't presume how they think, but showing that we don't butcher citizens will work as good PR."

"I understand." Matias looked to the sides and behind him, confirming that the numerous officers handling their consoles were focused on their jobs. He leaned forward. "At least 2 among those 15 we've brought back have Threat Level 4 readings."

"I've read the Specialist's report. We're keeping an eye out for others like them. You will keep watch on those two."

Matias nodded and moved out of the War Room.

Once outside, he began to remotely fill out requisition forms for food, tents and preparing construction vehicles.

By the time he returned to the refugees outside, Matias found Lelei staring at the Miniger just outside the door, the same Miniger staring back at her, saying 'Good morning. How are you?' in Saderan.

A small thought at the back of his head told him that Lelei would be a perfect candidate as a member of the Fifth Order. The other thought says that it would be too early to know if she's trustworthy enough to become one of its members.

_Hence the observation_, he told himself.

He activated his Universal Translator again, and stated, 'Gather around, we're going to help you set up camp just outside our base.'

* * *

This was a literal crisis situation.

Not a single soul was lost to their intended conflict and subsequent loss to the invaders.

Any passerby soldier they managed to question only reported the same thing: A metal titan.

Even more concerning was that the same invaders somehow coerced the Allied Kingdoms to stay neutral in their conflict; At least the Empire won't have to fight on two fronts, but that still meant that it was fighting on one at full force, one that they don't even know the extent of their power.

"After the loss of our army at the Hill, the entire province has been swamped with bandit activity." His advisor Legate Marxis. "It will not be long before even Italica is lost."

"Employ scorched earth tactics. Use whatever means necessary to delay these otherworlders."

Marxis bowed in respect, just as the doors to the throne room he resided within flew open, revealing the red-haired princess Pina Co Lada.

"Father! I have heard about the defeat of our expedition force, and the subsequent army that would've followed them! What's more, the Allied Kingdoms have also withdrawn! What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh, Pina." Molt stated, a small smile adorning his face.

"Why are we abandoning Alnus Province, and leaving it to these bandits and barbarians?"

Molt didn't need a second to realize why she would think such. "We are evacuating the province to delay their advance. It is so that we would have time to rebuild our army." He gave Pina a moment to absorb all this information. "Henceforth, I have a mission for you and your Knights. You are to go to Alnus."

"M-me?"

"Yes. You are to assist with their evacuation and assure that we are there to protect them. Unless of course, your knights are just for show."

Pina could not argue. As it is, the Rose Order was comprised of noble daughters and elderly knights.

Of course, neither have they received an official mission until now.

"As you wish, your majesty."

Unknown to any of them was 7th Recon, whose cloaking technology which concealed their physical forms and muting devices which silenced their footsteps and gunfire helped them effectively spy on every occurring event inside the Imperial Castle, the Capital, and every noble that lived there. Their surveillance efforts also helps to identify any slaves that originate from their world, and feed the info to 6th Recon, whose job is to liberate said their enslaved citizens, and if possible every other enslaved individual.

Although their own equipment may silence their words, it couldn't stop them from its source, and that is where their microphones were.

"7th Recon to Alnus Command, Cocktail is on her way to Alnus Province."

"Copy 7th Recon. Continue monitoring."

* * *

The day which they first arrived at the camp was also the day they spent settling in to the plethora of new experiences.

The refugees soon ran out of awe, after witnessing the flying fortress in the sky, the fortress on the ground, eating delicious meals of which this UNDF seemed to have no shortage of, as well as the speed of which they built houses almost as easily as they cleared out the surrounding trees for material and space, some of them are actually getting used to the sights and senses.

Lelei was not one of them. She was actively learning everything that the UNDF has to offer for the last few weeks. Already she has deciphered some parts of their language, which she learned was called English. Somewhere along those lines, that involved walking outside of the camp, then sitting down while gazing upon the massive titan in the distance.

'Overwhelmed?'

Lelei looked to her side to find the Apostle of Emroy Rory, with her halberd on hand.

'Yes, Miss Oracle. They have many things of interest.'

'Please, call me Rory.' She replied, which raised a small smile from Lelei. 'Still, I wonder what would've caused this UNDF to employ these titans.'

'Yay-Gers, Rory. I asked Matias about it, and they call them Yay-Gers.'

'Did Matias also say why?'

'He did say they faced monsters stronger than the Flame Dragon using them.'

'Stronger, huh?' She licked her lips in response. 'I'd certainly like to know more.'

Rory looked towards her companion at the moment, then noticing the blonde elf Tuka not far from them, now wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, and is looking towards the black-themed Yay-Ger that is returning from what seemed to be the UNDF base's boundary.

'How are you holding up?'

Tuka, perhaps looking somewhat shocked, only answered, 'Father would be upset if he knew I saw such incredible things. they're just so...surreal.'

The mage and apostle looked at one another, then the demigoddess spoke, 'I think you may have recovered.'

'Huh?'

'She meant the fact that you lost all your friends and family.' Lelei supplanted Rory's statement, 'It's somewhat of a miracle you haven't went insane after experiencing that.'

Tuka's sad expression turned into a smile. 'Maybe I already am, considering that I am seeing massive metal golems.'

'Yay-Gers.'

'Speaking of those, why don't we explore this base and their massive fortress in the sky tomorrow?'

'We'll need to ask Matias if we're even allowed up there.' Lelei brought up a reasonable point, considering how many military installations in Falmart tend to forbid non-military personnel from access. 'But we'll see tomorrow.'

* * *

'THEY KILLED A FLAME DRAGON?!' Erupted inside a tavern somewhere at the edge of the Imperial Border.

'But how? No elf, sorcerer, or even apostle could even scratch it! You sure you're not mistaking it for a newborn or wyvern?'

Unknown within their midst was the fifth child of Emperor Molt himself: Pina Co Lada.

'I keep on telling you dimwits, its true!'

'Eh, I find being shot by an arrow from fifty leagues away more believable than this tall tale!'

'Fine, then don't believe me, but I know I survived it!'

After informing several villages of the Emperor's order of evacuation, they've begun to hear about the Men in Blue, who were supposedly responsible for the defeat of the Imperial Army on Alnus Hill, but also the safety of at least 3 of these villages, and even the recently-famous Coda Village survivors.

Every instance of them which Norma, Hamilton, Grey or Pina herself asked all spoke of a massive metal titan.

'I can't help but think that some bits of the villagers' testimonies are made of lies, but I don't see how they could be, considering that they all spoke the same thing.' Norma finalized his observation before the Coda Villager who works as a server came around to serve another round of drinks.

'I speak the truth when I say that it was a real Flame Dragon, and the same for the titan.'

'You don't fool me, little miss! Perhaps some more storytelling would make it easier to believe?'

'Hmm, I don't know...'

Hamilton, who sat to the side, searched in her pocket and pulled out a gold coin, 'Well, I believe you, so could you tell all of us here what happened?'

She hadn't seen anyone snatch a coin that quickly.

'I think is coming back to me!'

The waitress helped herself to the now quiet tavern and took the opportunity to speak, '12 people helped out village of 600 in escaping. 3 of which were female. On the trail out of our homes, they've helped with every conceivable problem that arose for us; any broken cart was immediately fixed by the woman named Krymova, while it was held in place by a smaller titan.'

'A smaller titan?' Pina asked, now intrigued by the events.

'Yes, about the same height as this tavern. It held up any broken carriage straight while Krymova fixed it. The small titan even helped me to one of their horseless carriages when I was exhausted from moving!'

'Then, the Dragon arrived.' No doubt her tone of voice changed to anyone inside the tavern.

'It killed many of us, and would have burned us all if not for the Men in Blue.'

'One of the men, their commander, was thrown from the small titan and onto the dragon!'

'Say what?'

'And he started punching the dragon in its face!'

'This is ridiculous!'

'But its true! Meanwhile, the other Men in Blue fired their black staves at the Dragon, but soon their commander was burnt by the Flame Dragon!'

'The entire tavern went silent at the revelation.

'But that was not the end, for the Titan Caller had enchanted armor, the likes that could change his appearance, that protected him from the Dragon's flames!'

'Oh!'

'The Men in Blue did not let the opportunity go to waste, for they had called for the white titan and it in turn ripped the head of the Flame Dragon off of its neck!'

'Woo!'

The tavern now was positively cheering at the proclamation of waitress, and none of it seemed any more of a lie than the last statement; every word that came out of her mouth was the truth.

'So what do we do now, your highness?'

'We shall go to Italica. If the Empire was to organize another assault against the otherworlders, massive titans or not, they'll need a forward base to do so.' Pina informed her group just as Norma finished his question. 'I'm also intrigued by this 'Titan Caller' she's named.'

'The Formal Clan will not be happy about this arrangement.' Hamilton clarified.

'I'm afraid none of us have the choice.'

* * *

Come morning, and Rory, having needed to enact a few prayers in the morning as a tribute, was already at the front of the refugee camp where two UNDF soldiers stood guard.

Soon, she was joined by the teenage sorceress and the blonde elf, all of whom started to walk up the hill to the base when a short honk from behind them made them look.

It was Matias, currently in the driver seat of an LAV.

'I believe that you wish to go sightseeing?'

'H-how did you...?' Tuka slowly stated, now afraid whether this Matias stalked them since yesterday.

'I was in a meeting up there.' Matias pointed to the _Avenger_ in the sky. 'I thought that when a sorceress, an apostle, and an elf gathers, they tend to have something in common they want to do. And as of right now, there's an Aerial Mobile Shatterdome nobody in this world has ever seen, which is bound to be a point of interest.'

The three girls couldn't help but agree.

'So I cleared it with command, and now,' Matias held up three tags on his fingers. 'All three of you are given specific privileges in our base, including limited access to the AMS _Avenger_.'

The three girls then hesitantly grabbed the tags before rapidly moving themselves into the vehicle.

* * *

Even after seeing it once, the triple-layered metal gates that was the entrance to the Fort still struck awe. Then they came across a massive strip of black with white symbols on it, which they later learned was an air field where they land their aerospacecraft.

That was not to mention the flying ark they rode, a V-104 Matias said, which transported them high into the clouds until they were directly next to the flying fortress.

Lelei, careful as she is, peeked out of the vehicle with Tuka to find everything on the ground looking insignificant.

Rory, on the other hand, could only compare this scene to how the gods would view this world.

Soon, the aircraft settled down onto the side of the fortress, which them brought them into a massive door. Several beams of light were shone at them until they converged on their tags, then the inner door opened, revealing the countless machines that filled this fortress.

Every fifty or so meters was a titan surrounded by scaffolding, cranes and machines which the three locals in there could only guess what their purpose was.

With their eyes wandering, they didn't notice the approach of a formally clothed individual until she was directly in front of them.

Matias saluted to her, albeit loosely, which only told the three girls that she was probably a high ranking officer, or even the highest ranking officer in the fortress.

"Good morning ladies. I am Marshal Miranda Reyes, commander of the AMS _Avenger_."

Unlike the Recon Squads and their assigned Rangers, the _Avenger_'s Marshal was rather busy with ensuring the operational capabilities of the UNDF's Jaegers in the event of a mass deployment, and hence had no time to learn the Saderan tongue. She hoped that the three girls would understand what she said, and breathed a sign of relief when all three of them understood bits and pieces of it.

Lelei took a moment to translate what they couldn't before all of them slightly tilted their heads.

"Now I presume all of you want the Grand Tour of the ship, so let's not waste daylight." Miranda announced as she began to walk, followed by the locals and Matias, who also doubled as a translator alongside Lelei.

"This is Crimson Maelstrom, primarily built by the Chinese Republic of Asia. Considering that their next flagship Jaeger Crimson Emperor was about to launch, they were happy to let us use him." Miranda gestured to the red Jaeger with four arms. "This Jaeger's hands can turn into plasma-tipped saw blades; they cauterize any wound they make, and so far we haven't found anything they cannot cut through."

The expression of wow covered their faces as they imagined each of its hands carve their way into a Flame Dragon's flesh mercilessly.

Shortly after, the Marshal pointed to the green Jaeger. "That one over there is the last Jaeger built in the 36th Millennium: Cherno Omega." Immediately, Rory locked her eyes onto its two massive fists. "The last active Series 36000 in existence, he was supposed to be decommissioned a week after the Saderan attack. The New Russian Federation then decided to extend the aging Jaeger's lifetime for another five years, and honestly, with how little we know about Falmart's Kaiju, we're glad we'll have Cherno's Tesla Fists immediately in our arsenal."

Somewhere in Rory's mind, she wondered if she would still be intact after a direct punch.

"Over there," She directed towards the beige-brown Jaeger, which Lelei recognized from the day they arrived. "Is Empyrean Valor. Those rapid-fire 75 centimeter caliber cannons strapped onto this one's forearms, the largest guns outside of standard spacecraft weaponry, is guaranteed to take out any Kaiju before they even come close enough to do any damage, and even if it did, his prototype plasma shielding would scorch anything it comes in contact with. The European Republic of Germany was supposed to test their second most advanced Jaeger prototype when his construction was completed, and opted for said testing grounds to be the next Kaiju it faces in Falmart."

It didn't take long for Lelei to realize that the UNDF's black staves, golems, and even titans were not magic, but rather a product of advanced science and technology, but that realization didn't help her when she realized the UNDF had to face an enemy terrible enough to make them build said titans for combat.

"This beauty here is Paladin Aeternum." She looked towards the white-gold-black Jaeger with a black cape behind it. "A joint-project between Zathuran and Human militaries, this Jaeger is the first one with a power core strong enough to sustain sublight-level ion-thruster boosting and anti-gravity capabilities. It also has FTL capabilities, albeit in short bursts compared to actual spacecraft. To top it off, it also has palm-based ion blasters and half-a-dozen chest-mounted magnetic accelerator cannons."

Tuka can only imagine how it is like to fly in the sky like a bird would, and this Yay-Ger could do just that.

"This particular Jaeger here is Rogue Tarragon." The locals immediately recognized this one as the Yay-Ger that killed the Flame Dragon, one of them remembering the scene more vividly than others; both as it killed the dragon and when it turned into light in front of their eyes. "Piloted by none other than Matias here, sometimes John and their partner Clark," Matias shrugged as the three girls looked at him for a moment before returning to the Marshal. "This Mark-29 is designed to roam in hazardous environments such as volcanoes and frozen tundras, which was perfect for the Flame Dragon's fire breath. As you can see, its left arm sustained less than average levels of damage; the fact that he utilizes a new weave of armor that absorbs kinetic energy and redistributes it into its weapons and movement systems helped to reduce his maintenance cost to the point where every Jaeger Series 2200 and above would make it standard."

If they weren't impressed before, they certainly were now. Rory could only wonder how an opponent would be should they manage to absorb her attacks and become stronger as a result.

"Last but not least, is Gipsy Berserker." Miranda pridefully stood in front of the blue-themed Jaeger. "The flagship Jaeger of The United States of North America, this Jaeger has mass-driver coils over his entire body, helping it to move faster and strike harder. It only gets more lethal when its elbow rocket activates and breaks the skull of any Kaiju it fights, or when its photon swords slice through flesh and metal at equally fast speeds."

'Named after a long line of Jaegers that started with Gipsy Danger, each and every one of them involved in a final battle against the Kaiju.' Joined in a man in a white lab coat. 'Professor Galvan Gottlieb, francea. At your service.' He extended his hand, expecting a handshake before realizing that they don't have that sort of custom.

"Gottlieb. I thought you were back on Earth."

"I got here last night after finishing the math behind the next generation of anti-gravity generators. In five years, the next AMS would be able to carry one hundred and twenty Jaegers instead of thirty, probably even make Jaegers on demand, albeit standard ones, of course."

Matias made a small laugh, then noticing the time, 12:30. "Should be lunchtime."

* * *

Lunch came and went for the Rangers and workers inside the ship, and it passed relatively well for Leiei, Tuka and Rory, and a short while of following Matias, they came across what looked like a dueling ring with several weapon stands next to it.

Matias called it a routine sparring session which all Rangers participate every so often, as he picked up a bo staff just as another Ranger, the three presumed, entered the ring. What made these sessions with him special, though, is the fact that not many get the chance to face of against a Nalzaed, even a half-blood, and walk away talking about it.

Both of them were clad in the same exo-armor they would use during Jaeger piloting.

As Marshal, Miranda presided on the side of the ring with the three girls. She took a moment to confirm that both sides were ready.

"Begin!"

Immediately the opposing Ranger Duncan Jahiem Nang Alcaraz charged forward, swinging his bo staff upwards and towards Matias' head.

Matias moved quick to block the strike, followed by blocking the subsequent strike from below. Matias then swung the bo staff behind him, gathering momentum before swinging it at full speed, narrowly missing Duncan as he dodged it via pushing himself and the staff into the air.

This time, Duncan swung sideways aiming at Matias' torso, which he managed to block as well, albeit also being pushed back.

His feet back on the ground, Duncan spun his entire body, intending to deliver a final blow from his right, but only for Matias to push it midway to the ground, and him launching himself partially from the bo staff he hinged to the ground, knocking Duncan out of the ring.

"Match over. Matias wins." Miranda announced, prompting everyone else to clap in response, even the locals.

Then Rory stepped up. 'I'd like to give it a go.' was what she said, causing the other Rangers to go silent.

With nobody in protest, Rory stepped into the ring, picking up a wooden bo staff on the racks; considering that weapons larger than a certain size could not be freely carried around in UNDF territory, and much to the dismay of Rory herself, she left behind her halberd back at the camp.

She entered a ready stance, alongside Matias. The demigoddess and the Ranger circled each other.

"Begin." Miranda announced, which was all that Rory waited for.

She charged ahead, thrusting one end of the bo staff forward like one would a spear.

Matias calmly intercepted the thrust with the center of his own staff. Upon contact, he immediately felt himself being pushed back, so he whipped up the lower side of his staff along with Rory's and moved it to the left, then following his own momentum swiveled his entire body to strike from the right.

If only he made contact.

Rory had the idea to force Matias off balance by suddenly pushing up the staff, immediately followed by a direct thrust to his chest, knocking him and his staff down.

Some of the Rangers were shocked, but the other two girls were indifferent, probably expecting this to happen.

"Oh it's on." Matias began to smile, moving his right foot in a way that would flip up his staff, and when perpendicular to his line of sight, Matias forced his palm onto the end of the staff and caused it to fly like an arrow. No doubt Rory managed to strike it down midflight, but she didn't see the incoming kick to her head from her right, and the subsequent palm that caused her to fall down.

Rory was intrigued, and she in turn stood on her hands as she twisted to build momentum to get back on her feet, and they continued the fight.

This time, Lelei and Tuka looked in a state of disbelief; an Apostle is regarded as one of the most adept warriors in Falmart, and Matias, someone who is less than 30 years old was matched with her.

'Matias here practiced Shaolin-style Kung Fu since he was 5.' Galvan said to the two locals, garnering their attention for any possible explanation for Matias' capabilities. 'At the age of 14, he had supposedly mastered several styles and left China for the Arcadia Institute of Technology in the United States, where he somehow became a Doctor of Engineering and learnt to be fluent in at least thirty languages. By the age of 25, in recognition of his determination and achievements, he was knighted by the Emperor himself as Knight of the Third Order.'

Galvan pointed to Matias, and the sorceress and elf followed his gesture to see Matias positively smiling. 'He's having the time of his life, finally having someone who could match him in combat that is not another Nalzaed.'

The fight only lasted for another minute or so before Miranda demanded them to stop.

At that moment, the end of Matias' bo staff was at Rory's neck, and her's at his stomach.

Everyone clapped for the occasion, just as Matias held his staff straight and bowed, Rory doing the same thing.

* * *

After the fight, Matias took them to see the inside of Rogue Tarragon's con pod, then the reactor room of the AMS, followed by Miranda giving each of them a small souvenir in the form of a badge shaped like the letter 'A'. She explained that it was meant to represent the ship itself, and that it wasn't named the _Avenger_ for no reason.

'Lelei, a moment of your time?' Matias asked, just as they ended up in front of the command center.

Tuka and Rory had made themselves comfortable on the LAV heading back to the camp just as Matias had called her.

'Yes?'

'Come with me.'

Both of them made their way towards the top of the wall, and Matias began, 'Tell me about this magic of yours. How does it happen?'

'We use outside forces to cause 'False principles' in the 'True principle' of the world.'

'If I'm to understand that correctly, you essentially control natural events?'

'I'm essentially creating my own reality.'

'Is that so?' Matias had raised his eyebrow, realizing that he was directly conversing with a reality warper, albeit a minor one.

'What about you, Matias? Your abilities. Your strength. Are you an apostle from the other world? What god are you a patron of?'

'I'm not so much of a worshipper of a god, as I am one.' Matias stated, subtly noticing Lelei's stiffening up slightly more than she already was. Soon they both looked towards the dome which covered the gate.

'My full name is Matias Lugh Cox, Knight of the Third Order. By right of my title, and by the will of the Emperor,' Lelei looked to Matias, who had straightened himself. 'I hereby extend an invitation to you, Lelei La Lalena, to join us as a member of the Fifth Order.'

* * *

By nightfall, Rory, Tuka, and Lelei were back at the small town which housed the refugees, and in one of the units gathered Cato, Lelei, Tuka, Rory, and two other kids.

'We are deeply indebted to the UNDF.' Cato summarized. Even without seeing them directly, Lelei, Tuka, and Rory's words were enough to impress the old sage.

'I know I should be enjoying this.' Tuka began, 'But these soldiers, they're doing everything for us.'

'Well, I don't know about that. I especially don't think Lelei would be fine with that.' Cato waited for the typical monotone remark to come, only to find none. '...Lelei?'

Ever since Matias offered her a position in his people's Fifth Order, which he explained to be made up of polymaths, scholars and ability users like themselves, Lelei had been deep in thought, on one hand gleeful that she will have the opportunity to learn what lies beyond the gate, but in a way she still has a number of obligations where she is today.

'Lelei? You still there?'

Lelei quickly responded to her master's call and nodded.

The others, already knowing where this was going, can only listen as the elf continued, whose face grew to one of absolute fear, yet inevitability. 'All I can think of doing to repay them...is selling myself!'

Cato rubbed the back of his head and responded, 'Well, most of us here are elderly, injured or children. We could ask if there are any menial tasks they have to be done, like cleaning up those wyvern corpses on the hill. I saw a lot of them while wandering around today, and considering their scales and fangs' value, maybe we can-'

* * *

'WHAT?! WE CAN TAKE AS MANY AS WE LIKE?!'

By next morning, Lelei returned from asking Matias about the wyverns, who then revealed that the best use those corpses have to the UNDF was target practice for Empyrean Valor, their other vehicles and their soldiers, and frankly they weren't running out of them any time soon. Not to mention that not having a hill littered in corpses seems to be a good idea anyways.

It didn't take long before Lelei returned to the Fort and explained the worth of the wyvern scales to its commanders, who had agreed to send them to Italica with 3rd Recon, whose next mission was to go there anyways.

* * *

High on the list of objectives the Rose Order needed to accomplish, other than the evacuation of Alnus Province and scouting of the otherworlder army, was the Emperor's demand to know why the Allied Kingdoms retreated without sending so much as a single unit into battle.

One of these contingents was led by Bozes Co Palesti, who arrived at the Saderan-Elbe border, only to be turned away by the guards on site. They reportedly stated that they would not serve nor entertain any Imperial knights in any of their demands, also claiming in their own king's words that after meeting with the other regents that the accords held between every kingdom and the Empire was void and null.

Bozes didn't even manage to see Duran before a messenger came for her, reporting Princess Pina's call for help in Italica, which was currently under siege. Then, with her contingent she urged her horse to run as fast as it can, hoping to reach Italica in time.

Meanwhile in the walls of said border fort, was Gallant and King Duran himself.

'With this, King Duran, you have just exercised sovereignty against the Empire.'

'As it would seem.' Duran stated, stroking his beard and looked to the apparent UNDF diplomat. 'I trust that your forces will defend us in the event they come knocking?'

'Without question.' Gallant made his statement as he begun to walk with Duran downwards from the walls.


	5. Siege of Italica

9:00 AM, November 30, 2137

"So we're mailmen now?' Yngve asked, watching the two bags of wyvern scales being loaded onto her LAV using its rear-view mirror.

Days have passed since the refugees began to harvest said scales for the purpose of self-sustenance. They didn't need to fear for the chance of anything attacking them, considering that a Jaeger was patrolling the outskirts of the wyvern graveyard and keeping out any potential aggressor, bandit or monster.

When they were finally done, along with some help from passing UNDF soldiers, the refugees had 200 scales to sell.

"Officially, we're offering to transport them so they would get some money and eventually become self-sufficient. Command certainly agrees to their plan, but the initial investment will have to come from this journey to Italica." Matias confirmed, who is currently confirming the deployment status of Rogue Tarragon in case they need it again. "Besides, our next mission was to that Fortress City for the purpose of force projection, and potentially nab more info for 6th Recon."

It is true that with the given order, 3rd Recon was comprised of not just the usual LAV, APC and Miniger, but also followed by two T-710 quadruped-capable tanks and four 8X8 ATVs, each carrying some sizable number of soldiers.

"Copy that, sir." Yngve acknowledged, and with the scales and the three refugees on board, 3rd Recon sets out for Italica.

* * *

Colonel Kajima Masaru of Silver Squadron, alongside the other seven X-06s, blasted into space at escape velocity. Their mission was to fly up there and launch into orbit the MTB (Multiversal Telemetry Beacon).

If the beacon works correctly, no matter if it was in the same universe or extra-dimensional, a quantum signal would be detected by MTBs back on Earth, therefore allowing the UNDF Navy to lock on to their coordinates and bring in the 9th Fleet.

"Approaching the Karman line." Kajima stated, currently flying past the 100 km mark in altitude, leaving behind Fantasia as his Valkyrie approached 40 000 km/h, then stopped boosting as he finally reached 250 km above.

Kajima and the other pilots took a moment to view the stars of this world, immediately finding out that they recognized none of it. He soon went back to completing his mission, and launched from his weapons bay the sophisticated device only Professor Galvan knew the math behind.

The Valkyries didn't leave; they were also there to make sure it was operational before going back to Alnus. They waited for a full seven minutes before Alnus sent a transmission.

"Alnus to Silver 1. Do you copy?"

"Go ahead, Alnus."

"Be advised, Earth has detected the MTB, and is sending the 9th Fleet now."

"Copy Alnus. I'm detecting slipspace signatures now."

Immediately after, a total of 80 ships had arrived in front of the X-06 Squadron. A quick look told the pilots that among the new arrivals were 12 battleships, 22 cruisers, 32 destroyers, and 14 carriers, 5 of which were AMCs.

A short moment of silence passed before someone from the fleet spoke into the comms system. "This is Captain Yuri of the UNDF AMS Janus. Does anyone read me?"

"I hear you, Janus. This is Silver 1. Welcome to Fantasia."

* * *

The Fortress City of Italica, easily the most prosperous city in all of the Saderan Empire. While it had equivalents up in the northern snowlands, none was more important than this center of trade in between the numerous nations of Falmart.

For being such an important city, it had a massive garrison defending it, of which its entirety was called upon to cross the Gate.

Now, weeks after the subsequent defeat of the Alnus Garrison at the hands of the otherworlder army, only a militia of 500 men, all of them under-equipped, were left to keep peace inside the city.

'Retreat!' yelled the Bandit Army's Commander.

After suffering a rather large setback, the massive horde of 15 000 heavily armed bandits, once soldiers part of the Alnus Garrison, retreated from the walls of the city of Italica.

The South Gate of the city was destroyed, and only 150 of the militia still stood.

On top of the wall overseeing the entire occasion was Princess Pina. After three whole days of being under siege, she could finally let loose her breath, if only for a moment.

'Norma! Hamilton! You still alive!?'

Norma only responded with a raised hand, and Hamilton forced out a response.

'What's this, your highness, no concern for me?'

'I know you well enough, Grey.'

That statement only caused the old man to laugh.

Pina then began to walk in the direction of the Formal Clan's mansion in the center of the city, followed by Hamilton.

'Princess. Why are we fighting bandits?'

'I could ask you the same question.' Pina quickly turned to Hamilton. 'I thought the otherworld army had attacked. And in no way am I going to allow that to happen, even in my grave.'

'Then why aren't we sending for reinforcements from the capital?'

'BECAUSE NOBODY IS COMING TO HELP US!' Pina knew too well that her father was busy reorganizing the imperial army after their defeat at Alnus Hill, and by no means would he have any to spare. But there was still hope for some amount of help. She immediately raised her voice, 'Take a rest, but be on guard! My knights will be here to reinforce our position in 3 days!'

Morale among the people was already low, and Pina did whatever she could at the moment in an attempt to raise it, even if it was just a tiny bit, yet it was only moments later that one of the wall-patrolling militia shouted that the otherworld army had arrived

At that point, even the princess began to despair; her main force was not here, and without any trained army, she had no hope of victory. Then, she saw that the supposed 'army' was only two carriages and the smaller titan she heard about; unbeknownst to her was their backup in the tree line.

Both carriages were made of metal; the one behind the front had what seemed like a metal staff stuck onto it; what concerned her was whether or not the small titan behind both of the carriages was the one that brought down the Flame Dragon.

Three of the four members of the Rose Order in Italica, specifically Hamilton, Grey, and Pina herself peeked out of the small slit on the door to see what size on an army came for them in relative safety compared to, say, on top of a wall in direct line of fire from arrows.

_Surely, they would bring a larger force for an invasion, so why...?_

Up on the wall, Norma shouted to the two carriages and golem, 'Identify youself! If you're not a foe, come out into the open!'

From the back of the first carriage came a girl in robes holding a staff of a very specific design.

'A mage from Rondel? Have they allied with the otherworlders?...An elf even? Spiritual magic combined with their sorcery could spell disaster.'

Pina grimaced at an entire army of mages and elven archers among the ranks of the otherworlder army, made up of legions of these titans alongside what little she's heard about them.

The last to be seen by Pina, Hamilton and Grey shocked all of them.

'Rory Mercury!? Of all people, the Apostle of Emroy!?'

'It would seem, but I find it hard for Rory to align herself with any faction.'

By then, the three knights had stopped looking through the slit.

'But even so, if the otherworlders were truly as strong as we heard them to be, having them help defend the city could be a godsend.'

Several loud knocks were heard from the door itself, telling the knights that the trio they witnessed was already there, waiting.

Pina mustered up all the courage she had left, before lifting the wood pillar which blocked the door she stood next to, and pushed it outwards.

'WELCOME TO-huh?'

By the time the door was half open, a hand had held it in place, stopping it from slamming into a man's face just centimeters away.

'Please, don't slam the door into my face, francea. I'd like to keep it how it is.' Matias stated, smiling at the red-hair that almost knocked him out. _Princess Pina Co Lada. 7th Recon did mention something about a princess by the codename cocktail leaving for Alnus Province. Didn't expect to see her here of all places_.

'Oh, um... I'm sorry.' Short moments passed between the princess staring into this man's face and when she realized she was. 'Wait, what was my point?!'

* * *

'This, is the Fortress City of Italica.' Pina stated, currently leading Matias, Clark and Leo into the center of the city, where the House of Formal's mansion presided.

Lelei and the others had left to find and negotiate with the trader whom Sage Cato mentioned, as the conversation between the princess and 3rd Recon was not meant for them, nor would they be interested.

"For centuries, this city has served as the center of trade in the Province of Alnus, and effectively its capital. The House of Formal has governed these lands since and even before falling under Imperial jurisdiction. However, with the disappearance of Count Formal beyond the Gate, his three daughters had been fighting over his position." Pina concluded, leading the group to where a petite lady in pink clothing sat. 'This is Countess Myui Formal.'

'She's...a child.' Matias repeated it in his mind for several times after saying it.

'If I remember correctly, she would be 11 this year.' The princess commented, stopping in front of her before turning around. "And until the bandit crisis is resolved, I am in charge of the city's defense.'

* * *

"Well that plan went down the ditch." Leo stated, which was perfect in that none other than two people in the meeting room could understand that same language. The original plan was to show up to Italica with their full convoy and show the Formal Clan that the UNDF were not to be messed with. Then they realized the city was under siege and opted for 3rd Recon to investigate, only for Matias to almost get knocked out by a door.

And now, by some odd occurrence, he, Clark and his commanding officer were glossing over the layout of the city and its surroundings.

'Let me get this straight: You want to help us defend the city?'

'Yes. The three girls that were with us came on the pretense of selling wyvern scales for money, but my other men had just told me that our contact will not be conducting any trade during this crisis.' Matias stated.

'Very well then, I hereby assign you to defend the south gate.'

'And I will comply, but we have the means to call upon more soldiers to help and reinforce the other gates as well.' Matias motioned to the side of his belt, and placed what looked like a flat plate onto the map table, which soon projected a 3-dimensional map of the local area. Lelei and the others have already gotten used to these sights, but not the princess and her compatriots immediately in the room.

'Go on.' Pina said as she looked at the absurdly detailed holomap.

The man, who Pina apparently had trouble not looking at, pointed to the forest region near the city. 'As of this instant we have scouting drones surveying the Falmartian continent for potential threats such as the Flame Dragon, and while we've identified several Category II Kaiju roaming, we also found this.' Matias zoomed in onto the concentration, finding bodies in a spectrum of colors moving inside the forest. She only needed one word to identify them: bandits, and thousands of them by the looks of it.

'Don't mistake my intentions, your highness. I am not an imperial soldier, nor am I a native of this world. But if my army doesn't do something, Italica would most likely fall to this army of bandits, and the only ones who would be left alive would be the ones they'll keep for entertainment.'

Silence befell the princess; why wouldn't she be frustrated? She now could call for the help Italica desperately needed, but to do so would mean allowing the otherworld army to legally step on Imperial soil, and it would be on her authorization that it happened.

'Call your army.' Then came a small voice from the side. It was Myui. Pina was perhaps the most shocked of them all as she spoke up. 'I will only have my gratitude to give in return.'

'I second that.' Pina added.

Matias then nodded, and tapped his right wrist, also talking into it. "Command, this is Ranger Matias Cox. Italica is under siege. I need help."

* * *

It had only been a few minutes since the Mobile Shipyard and Combat Forge Voyager warped into Fantasian Orbit, and already, the 80 or so ships of the 9th Fleet have made themselves comfortable as they too helped to map out the planet, which apparently was filled to the brim with monsters and creatures of fantasy origin, such as elves, dwarves, magic, and, of course, Dragons.

The thought of fighting these Dragons was not as repulsive after learning that it barely did any damage to the Jaeger that did, and considering the 100 Jaegers that came with the 9th Fleet's on board of their respective AMS ships, the Navy and the Alnus Garrison had no reason to fear these monsters.

Then, their satellites which pointed to the planet for the purpose of surveillance detected a large moving object that had originated from the western desert.

Silver Squadron, alongside Gold Squadron, Red Squadron, and Black Squadron's reports have all found several Kaiju, all at least Category II in threat level, from the desert. And by size alone, this particular Kaiju had the size to rival a Category IV.

It's codename was Behemoth, and it's straight course led it directly to Italica.

Aboard the UNDF Eclipse, which has tracked the monster since they found it, its captain opened a direct channel to Alnus.

"Eclipse to Alnus. We're tracking a Kaiju on a direct course to Italica. ETA to Miracle Mile: 20 hours."

* * *

17:00 PM, November 30, 2137 [ETA: 15 Hours]

Minutes after finalizing their defense plan with 3rd Recon, the numerous UNDF forces which hid in the surrounding forest revealed themselves and positioned outside of the southern gate.

Further reinforcements delivered by V-104 fleets, which currently numbered at 300 infantry and 60 Minigers, positioned themselves 100 men and 20 Minigers each for all the other gates.

Pina watched as they made their own fortifications in the form of sandbags and machine turret emplacements over the last several hours.

'So those are the Men in Blue? The ones who have a titan that defeated the dragon?'

'It would appear so.' Pina noted, attempting to make sense of the numerous devices the otherworlders had on them. She looked around and honed her focus on Matias, who had his finger to his ear for some reason while looking towards the east on top of the southern wall.

For all that it's worth, she hoped that it was meant to help Italica.

* * *

"Command, can you confirm?"

"We've checked in with Eclipse several times, Ranger. The data is solid; a Category IV Kaiju is heading your way due east. Codename: Behemoth."

Matias knew all too well what happens when Kaiju reach Category IV on the Serizawa Scale.

Category I Kaiju tend to be purely animalistic, with singular, unwavering goals, which happens to be total destruction of their immediate vicinity, which made them easy targets.

Category II Kaiju begin to have some level of intelligence, as it was at that size and weight when Jaegers started to fall back in the first Kaiju War, albeit usually the old ones.

Category III Kaiju were the ones that started to have weaponized bodies such as knife-shaped heads and, for example, fire breathing, as well as basic intelligence on how to use such appendages, which will easily take down any pilot pair that underestimates them.

Category IV is where Kaiju begin to have higher intelligence and specific adaptations for specific defenses, weaknesses and tactics, such as the case with Leatherback and Otachi, whereas the gorilla-like one had a biological EMP to disable digital technology, and the flight-capable specimen had a tail to crush heads and an acid sac to melt metal.

Category V Kaiju begin to be bigger than the average Jaeger, with intelligence on par with a human's on top of having specific adaptations, which was considered as the ultimate test of a pilot pair's skill.

At Category VI, and thankfully only a few of these ever showed themselves, it would take an entire Squad of at least 6 Jaegers to kill or even simply incapacitate due to its absurd size, abilities and intelligence.

"I need Jaegers ready for deployment as soon as possible."

"Already handled. Rogue Tarragon and Empyrean Valor will be ready for deployment alongside orbital support. ETA at the moment, 15 Hours. Expect it to be sooner."

"Orbital Support?"

"The 9th Fleet warped in after we set up an MTB in orbit."

Matias gave a voice of realization and replied, "Understood Command."

He then turned to look at the empty plains outside the wall, noticing three people on horseback, likely bandits, in the distance.

Almost expecting it at this point, he heard Rory begin, 'Why are you helping them?'

Matias turned to face the demigoddess. 'I don't think I follow.'

'Why are you helping Italica, and ultimately the princess of the empire whom is your current enemy?' Rory stated, staring directly into Matias' eyes as she said so. 'My god Emroy does not condemn killing. However, he values your reasoning. Falsehood will only contaminate your soul whenever you pass.'

Matias broke away from her eyes and looked at the militia and any the city's citizens whom were still awake, who in turn looked at them in awe, and perhaps hope even, considering that by their logic, a group that defeated a Flame Dragon can most likely handle a bandit army as well.

'Ever since the UNDF was formed, our sole purpose was to defend our world, and our people. But if we could shed as little blood as possible to achieve peace and mutual prosperity, then that shall be the path we take. I don't lie when I state my intention to protect the people of this city, but I would also like to convey that peace with the UNE would work better than war with us.'

Hearing this Rory grinned and laughed like a maniac. 'Interesting!'

Matias took several seconds to realize Rory's train of thought, as it was also the idea behind force projection. 'You wish to instill complete and absolute terror into the very consciousness of the princess! Then by all means, I offer my assistance.'

At some times, Matias was glad she didn't become the UNDF's enemy, even for a moment.

* * *

3:00 AM, November 31, 2137 [ETA: 5 Hours]

Even for the most trained knights of the Empire, one would eventually fall asleep after watching over a fortress' walls for potential enemies. Italica was especially on high alert for a certain bandit army, when a wave of arrows unseen by the guards due to the dark background came for them.

There was no warning, which only exemplified the sound tactics of the former imperial troops, and with everyone exhausted from waiting, the bandits could not have picked a better time to restart their siege.

Pina could only look on at the carnage as she realized something: _This is war, and it was not on her side._


	6. Attack of the Behemoth

4:00 AM, November 31, 2137 [ETA: 4 Hours]

There was no such thing as an equal to the Behemoth, as known by the Falmartians, among all land creatures that exist.

Its muscles radiated with absolute power; its roar deafened ears with primal might, and its skin was made of scales so thick it was practically indestructible. It was essentially the King of the East while the Dragon and all of its relatives were King of the West.

There was mutual respect between the Behemoths and the Dragons after having existed alongside each other for thousands of years, and the people of Falmart eventually realized that the land of the Behemoths were inside the Western Desert, while the Dragons ruled the West, the Leviathans to the South where the oceans were, and the Giants to the Northern snowlands.

But when he sensed the death cry of the Flame Dragon that has ruled over the skies of Falmart since half-a-millennia ago, the Behemoth saw this as a sign for him to expand his territory westward, and nobody could stop the hexipedal monster from doing so.

* * *

"Do these guys ever end?!"

The line of UNDF soldiers and Minigers have been quite instrumental at stopping the bandit advance through the East gates.

Continuous fire from mounted G430 miniguns helped to cull their numbers, with the streams of plasma working as an effective area denial weapon, preventing any bandits from approaching the makeshift pillboxes on their approach.

Coupled by the relatively mobile and everchanging positions of soldiers firing IAR-90 ballistic rifles, any bandit who tried to take out said pillboxes eventually gave up, if they hadn't died first, then charged towards the wall itself once they did manage to move past them, and even then they have the Minigers to deal with, as even direct contact with one of them is painful enough to kill them and make them fly off into the distance.

But despite the carnage which those in front of them faced, these bandits only continued to charge, hellbent on the destruction of the city, and maybe even a hint of getting revenge for their brothers lost at the Hill. Needless to say, the UNDF kept on firing at the waves of bandits, but after a while, even the technologically superior UNDF allowed several bandits to breach their defensive line.

Soon the east gate was destroyed, and all soldiers of the UNDF not focused on preventing them from approaching their position started to focus on preventing them from climbing the walls instead of driving them back, giving them a clear path into the city in the process through the opening.

They couldn't fire into the city itself, lest they risk hurting civilians with stray gunfire, or that one bandit that just so happened to dodge in time.

Meanwhile, the entirety of 3rd Recon, alongside Tuka and Lelei, all of whom offered to help, stood there watching Rory, who is somehow moaning in agony.

"What is she...?" Clark asked, directing the question towards Lelei.

"Her body acts as a doorway to death." Whenever someone dies, their soul passes through her to Emroy, and the each instance causes a somewhat pleasurable sensation. Considering your weapons' capabilities in killing,"

"She's getting lots of it."

Then Matias' radio began. "All forces, we're being overrun! Need backup!"

"That's our cue." Matias jumped off of the wall, who made a beeline to the LAV, where Yngve was already in the driver's seat, and she wasted no time starting the drive as Clark and Leo got on as well, all the while Rory jumped from rooftop to rooftop racing to the east gate.

* * *

While the UNDF has adapted many possible methods of response to potential Kaiju attacks by virtue of having decades of time to experiment, the fact that they never work has also been considered.

When the Behemoth came within four hours of Italica's Miracle Mile, the 9th fleet began orbital bombardment.

Fortunately, like most other Kaiju, the Behemoth was not invulnerable to their railguns and Explosive rounds, but upon realizing that it was being hurt by something from above, it began to burrow underground. What was alarming was that via the ships' tracking, it was actually faster than when it was roaming on land.

Its ETA was 1 hour then. It is now 4:50. Its time of arrival has shortened to 5:00 AM.

* * *

'Ahh!' Cried out a soldier as he is kicked away by Matias.

Since a few minutes ago, he has joined Rory in what seems to them against the entire bandit army that is constantly swarming into the paddock that served as the last line of defense before setting foot into the city itself.

Said bandits attempted to make a shield wall to mitigate Matias' attacks, only for the PPDC Ranger to thrust so hard with his own spear that he destroyed the impacted shield, and pierced through four other bandits, and using the newly established opening, he fired his G-93 rifle towards the sides and took out the wall.

Behind him came a spear, which he dodged by backflipping and landing on the spear itself, then kicking the bandit up from his chin and commandeering his weapon.

His next wave of aggressors surrounded as he swung his spear around, briefly around his neck before he used a high-speed slash that struck all of their throats directly.

Immediately afterwards, one massive bandit charged in, hoping to crush this human with its sheer size, if not the flail he is swinging.

Then, the little man punctured into its heart, and somehow lifting him into the air and smashing him in the exact location he was lifted from, immediately ending his life as it slashed through his innards, and the little man pulling the spear out just as quickly as he thrusted it in.

The moment he stopped to breathe for a moment was enough reason for another bandit to attack him, but his attempts were thwarted by Rory's halberd, and since that incident, Clark and Leo took out any attempt to flank the two engaged in close quarters combat while the onlooking militia could only see Matias as another apostle.

Eventually, those bandits got smart enough to stop trying to attack and instead hold their line, which was still unable to stop the numerous bullets from piercing their shields and Rory from simply mowing them down like weeds.

Then screaming began in the outside.

It wasn't from the bandits; that made sense. It was something else entirely.

Soon after, Bandits AND UNDF soldiers began to run inside the paddock without fighting each other.

Only one thing could force even the Minigers to retreat in Fantasia: Kaiju, and it was a Category IV named the Behemoth.

Rory saw its tusk alongside Matias and co, even the princess on top of the inner wall and Myui inside the mansion.

Bandits saw this monster in absolute terror with its six limbs; two forearms, and four legs.

Matias and Clark looked at each other, then pressed the button on their screen.

* * *

Having expected to be called earlier, the pilots of Empyrean Valor: Franz Tilgner and Leni Shultz, hopped into their con pod early; it proved to be helpful in that the Kaiju arrived several hours earlier.

"UNDF _Avenger_, this is Empyrean Valor. Ready for action."

"Copy, Empyrean. Standby for Jaegerfall."

With its arm-mounted cannons retracted, it launched into the skies of Falmart alongside Rogue Tarragon, towards the now Kaiju battlefield near Italica.

* * *

Any and all Valkyries in their immediate vicinity aborted their less urgent recon missions and flew into Italican airspace to delay and potentially kill Behemoth before Italica was destroyed.

When the Kaiju came into the aerospacecraft's firing range, they engaged VTOL mode as they circled around the Kaiju at high altitudes, careful to not be grabbed by the Kaiju should it make an attempt while firing Rapid Plasma Casters and Anti-Kaiju Missiles, which due to its large size it failed to dodge a few.

From the top of the inner wall, Pina could see how these floating swords are causing visible pain to the legendary Behemoth, a monster said to be on par with the Flame Dragon.

Then she noticed two fireballs crashing into the ground.

The closer one was the infamous white titan that supposedly killed the Flame Dragon, which was rapidly scaled by who she realized was Matias and another otherworld soldier with what seemed like launched lines from their gauntlets.

The one more distant revealed a beige-brown titan with rods on its arms similar to the iron elephants that arrived yesterday.

Said rods extended themselves as they were directed towards the Behemoth, and a blast of fire engulfed both the tip of those rods and the left side of the monster's head.

The blast from Empyrean's cannons staggered the Kaiju as it continued to fire, albeit rapidly until its pilots noticed that it has burrowed underground, its long tail giving away its intended action.

Empyrean Valor retracted its cannon barrels as it looked at the ground, searching for any possible sign of the Kaiju, when it bursted from directly below it and forced the Jaeger down on the ground.

On its attempt to bite off the Jaeger's head, the pilots pushed against its skull using their left arm, steadying one of their feet on the ground as they pushed their right arm to its stomach.

By now, both of Empyrean's feet were on the ground as the metal titan lifted the entire Kaiju off of the ground, and threw it away from Italica.

After several moments of being airborne, where the watching Valkyries recorded the entire scene without accidentally harming the Jaegers, it crashed onto the ground. It picked itself up moments afterwards, realizing that parts of its face and stomach where the titan held him were burnt as periodic thumping approached from the direction of the human settlement.

Rogue Tarragon now had a pair of pilots who began with a elbow rocket-assisted punch.

With some backwards-facing thrusters, Rogue Tarragon moved its fist backwards just as quickly to deliver another fast punch, and another, and another before it was intercepted by one of the Behemoth's forearms.

The Jaeger pushed back, its other forearm lobbed a massive boulder into its direction, causing the Jaeger to lose balance and fall down.

While still in the distance, Empyrean fired its cannons again, this time with some success while its left arm with its barrels retracted taunted the Kaiju.

Now enraged, the Kaiju roared deafeningly loud as it ran towards the ranged Jaeger.

So far, the Behemoth expects this titan to have only ranged means to attack, which meant that when up close, it would lose its advantage. Thus the Kaiju attempted to grab onto the titan's shoulders and bite its head that way.

It was proved wrong when upon physical contact, the Kaiju felt immense heat on its limbs. A thin field of blue near the outline of the Jaeger was briefly visible to its four eyes when it was burnt and when the Jaeger's own arms lifted its forearms away with hands that had the same field as it was tackled to the ground.

The Kaiju forced itself back up while Rogue Tarragon held open its mouth. Racing against time as his own back was being clawed, Empyrean fired several fast volleys of cannonfire from both its arms into it, as well as two missiles from the same cannons.

The projectiles exploded from the inside, and with a final roar nobody could hear due to its vocal cords being blown up moments ago, it fell to the ground.

Pina and Hamilton who watched from afar could only comment, 'Titans...'

Needless to say, while the Jaegers engaged the Behemoth, the bandits resumed their attempted attack, only to be mowed down by a single volley of gunfire, and by the time anyone had a grasp of the situation, the legendary King of the East laid dead in the fields of Italica, and the bandits, now only numbering at double digits, surrendered to the unquestionably more powerful soldiers of the UNDF.

* * *

The Princess looked on as newly arriving flying arks deposited more troops to the area, helping to clear away bodies or provide security, and the two massive titans stood guard outside the walls of the city.

If she ever doubted the power of these otherworld soldiers, the now silent body of the King of the East was a testament to it.

'It's our victory, princess.' Hamilton said from behind her.

It was only just minutes ago that the three still-alive members of the Rose Order laid to rest the one who perished, and several minutes since Pina began to fear that her choice to invite them in has caused irreversible changes.

'No, Hamilton. The victors are Rory, the Apostle of Emroy, the otherworld army, and their Titans, the same Titans whose army occupies Alnus Hill, our enemy.'

Only now did her fellow knight and noble realize what Pina meant.

'In attempting to save Italica, have I not called upon an even greater force?' She grimaced, noticing the sound of their flying arks passing above them. 'If these otherworlders wanted to destroy us, they would've done it; even just one of those titans is enough to do so, and they have two of them here!'

'But the people-'

'Will welcome these soldiers with open arms. They have no reason to say otherwise.'

The three contemplated on their next move just as Mamina, the Warrior Bunny that works as one of the Formal Clan's maids, approached them. 'Your highness and her knights. Countess Myui and the UNDF has called for your presence.'

* * *

_This, changes everything,_ Myui thought.

The moment she makes her decision known, her life and relationship with the Saderan Empire will change forever.

Many of the Allied Kingdoms and the numerous provinces once populated by demi-human tribes were either forced into submission and subsequent vassalage, or mercilessly subjugated, then treated as second-class citizens, or worse, forced into slavery.

Italica, when it was ruled by her ancestors, fostered the city to be a place where demi-humans and humans could live in harmony, but when the princess' ancestors came to them, they didn't offer negotiations of any level; they simply laid siege to the city and threatened to burn down everything if they didn't accept vassalage, a choice they took centuries ago.

Part of the agreement was that the Formal Clan was forbidden from raising their own army, a gesture to obviously cull any possible chance of rebellion, so they send contingents of Imperial troops to fill that void.

Then the gate opened on Alnus Hill and their own imperial troops were called.

She didn't need to be reminded how many times she has requested help, as she encouraged her people to arm themselves while wave upon wave of bandits worn them down their current sorry state.

Their help came in the form of a princess and three knights in midst of a bandit army invasion.

Perhaps that was where she had enough; if the Empire truly needed its richest city, its Emperor would not even consider to leave it unguarded for days, much less weeks, not to mention the potential arrival of monsters like the Behemoth, which nobody could do anything against anyways.

Then came the otherworlder army, the UNDF.

For the first time since the bandit invasion, perhaps even before that, Myui felt safe.

They had soldiers who offered her people assistance even in the most menial of tasks; their army was disciplined, and when their commander, Matias offered to help, they did so without asking for anything in return, as she realized when the same commander ordered them to continue guarding the wall and to help escort the bandits to prison; what's more, their commander didn't try to usurp her position despite her tender age.

Myui looked to Matias, Leo, and Franz, who she summoned first.

'I plan to break all ties with the Saderan Empire. Can I ask for your army to continue providing us protection?'

That revelation made everyone, even the maids widen their eyes in shock, albeit for different reasons.

'Countess Myui, that decision will fully antagonize the princess and effectively the Saderan Empire in the process.' Matias pointed out. 'I'm certain that my superiors would agree to continue defending Italica, but what is there to stop the princess from immediate retribution?'

'The fact that they will not leave this city alive should they kill in a UNDF-controlled city.'

As if the fact had just dawned on them, the soldiers realized that the moment she declares independence, the princess is effectively on foreign soil, and killing the sovereign of said state will only further advance a war Sadera was already losing.

'Very well then, Countess. Or should I say...Myui Formal, Viceroy of the State of Italica?'

* * *

Pina was defeated. Rather, the appropriate term would be devastated.

Not only did she, when she had the chance, invite the otherworld army into their most prized city, but immediately the day after, Myui also declared Italica's secession from the Empire's ranks.

Naturally she tried to make sense of it while attempting to bring her back, but instead she was bashed with failure after failure of the Empire in assuring anyone's safety, even Italica's, which apparently was not as important to the empire as Myui had heard.

Yet by some miracle, she was still allowed in the city, so were her knights when they arrive by the end of the day. For now, she stood as the titans began to fly back towards where she could assume was the UNDF's base. The Behemoth corpse still laid outside, where some of Italica's citizens had begun to harvest its body parts, with help from the golems no less.

Already, she could feel that the city was outside of the Empire's grasp, and she slowly moved back to the inner wall, followed closely by Grey and Hamilton in the process.

* * *

3rd Recon was on the road again, this time without the tanks and trucks following them, as they served as Italica's current forces.

In midst of the meeting between the UNDF, the Princess and the Countess, now Viceroy, the three girls had already traded their wyvern scales for some sizable quantity of gold. They've even obtained some fangs of the Behemoth as thanks for defeating the bandits, as Rory had told Lelei and Tuka.

Franz and Leni flew back to the _Avenger_ aboard Empyrean Valor alongside Rogue Tarragon, hence their current absence from the squad.

"Command, how many of these things are there again?"

"Orbital recon has confirmed that the Behemoth and the Dragon, alongside other Kaiju of designations Leviathan, Jotunn, Arachne, etc. are, in fact, natives of this world. Their numbers, however, reach the hundreds."

"That's reassuring." Matias ceased his call to command while on their way back to Alnus Hill. Apparently, the Galactic Community back in their universe, as it has been confirmed by MTB coordinates, has called for a special assembly to discuss the situation and capability of the UNDF to provide proper protection of Falmart's citizens; they are not happy that humanity has exclusive access to an alternate Universe, and are attempting to find any possible excuse to have them officially disclose Fantasia's coordinates, most likely to have their own militaries occupy some territory on that particular world.

In this particular occasion, Matias, alongside selected representatives of the refugees, are summoned to testify on Coruscant, the homeworld of the ancient Nalzaeds, and one of the few aliens whom are actually indifferent to humanity's rapid progression.

Then dust began to rise on the horizon; horseriders wearing Princess Pina's specific style and adornment of armor were rapidly approaching the group of two vehicles and the Miniger.

The blonde-haired one, who seems to be the leader of this particular contingent, rode next to where Matias sat.

'I am Bozes Co Palesti of the Rose Order. Identify yourselves!'

'Matias Cox, Ranger of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.'

'Pan...Pacifi-Are you from beyond the Gate?!'

Matias quickly gestured his right hand inside, understood by Clark as he made the same gesture to the APC behind them. Idar took note and prepared a Flash grenade.

'Yes.' Matias stated without fear. Said statement caused the apparent noble to draw her sword, and pointed at the Ranger.

'In the name of-!'

"FLASH!"

All of 3rd Recon, and the three girls who understood their action, braced for the sudden flash of light and the deafening sound that came with it, just as Idar threw a Flash grenade right in between Matias and Bozes.

No doubt, Matias prevented himself from being incapacitated, but none of the Rose Order had an idea what was coming.

From that moment on, she would remember how she was defeated without a single slash made, but rather a flash of bright light that forced her off her mount and her subsequent capture.

'Under the authority of Viceroy Myui Formal, you are under arrest.' Matias stated, restraining Bozes as she wondered who gave the juvenile countess authority over her.


	7. Meet the Gods

18:00 PM, November 31, 2137

'ARE YOU FOOLS?!'

Just minutes ago, Pina was forced to watch as the flags of the Empire were replaced by Italican Flags, a symbol of their newfound, and undoubtedly unchallenged independence, simply because of the new black titan, or Yay-Ger as she later learnt, standing right outside it, not to mention the lingering UNDF soldiers that served as the city's defense force.

Now, she was dealing with what she heard was an attempted assault on Matias and co while they were returning to their base. She hoped it were leftover bandits, and whatever semblance of calm she had was immediately replaced by anger as she saw her friend Bozes, and her contingent of Rose Order Knights in restrains while kneeling in front of the Formal Mansion.

'P...Princess Pina?'

Seeing her obvious distress, Matias removed the blonde's restraints, and the instant she was free, she rushed to her princess and barraged her with questions. 'Princess, what has happened to Italica?!'

'Saved, by the 3rd Recon and two titans of theirs.'

'Then what of the city? Who gave its countess authority over me? Or you for that matter?'

'They are no longer aligned with the Empire. As of today, the city is its own kingdom.'

Seeing the drama at hand going absolutely nowhere, Matias told his men, "Well, we decided to race back to Alnus to bypass the incoming superstorm, but with this setback, we'll need to wait until tomorrow."

Clark and Leo responded with hand gestures directed to the rest of 3rd Recon, who began to move to the nearby set of buildings Myui ceded to the UNDF, as he turned to Lelei, 'We'll stay for another day. Martin will be cooking tonight.'

She gave a silent nod, and seeing that the princess was curious of what the man had said, she quickly translated before following the Ranger.

* * *

A sigh is often used as an expression of discomfort or tiredness. Pina was beyond that.

While there was no way for Bozes and co to realize the newly-declared independence of Italica before their arrival, she most certainly expected her to at least act civilized like the noblewoman she was. Now, the UNDF literally has the excuse to take out her friend and the rest of her order, whom were already without political power inside Italica.

A soft knock came from the doors of the office room she is still allowed to use.

'Come in.'

The door revealed Bozes and Panache, both of whom looked confused as to why the Princess was agitated over the attempted assault of the enemy, instead of congratulating her.

'Do you understand why I am, at all, angry?'

'No.'

'I'll give you a hint, Bozes, Panache. That small squad of 12 people could easily call for the support of massive metal titans they call Yay-Gers, each of them strong enough to defeat any monster from Dragons to even the Behemoth.' Pina let her words sink in. 'I presume that the massive corpse outside the walls are proof enough of their power.'

Now, the newly-arrived knights have nothing to say, and Pina can't believe what idea she just came up with.

* * *

'Here is to our newfound independence, and victory against the bandit army. Cheers to the UNDF!' Myui proclaimed, having set up what is essentially a banquet for the people of Italica, and the crowd that gathered cheered in response.

Courtesy of ingredients provided from the numerous fields that remain untouched from the Empire's scorched earth tactic, Martin Sacher of 3rd Recon helped to cook the numerous dishes that the people of Italica dined upon in the courtyard of Formal Mansion, of which was covered by a massive tarp to keep out the rain.

For as long as people in Italica could remember, most of their crop was delivered to the Imperial Capital as tribute, leaving just a bit above what the people needed to survive upon after every harvest; then came today when the city's ruler outright declared independence in front of one of the Empire's imperials, and the news had put a smile on their face.

The most hilarious part for the commonfolk was when the same princess' knights, who she promised would help to avenge their dead and protect the city, was just as easily struck down as the Men in Blue did the bandits. The saving grace these knights had was that the UNDF didn't call down one of their titans; however would anything short of one of the gods do battle and win against those?

As the event progressed, many of the locals swarmed Rory, which she was used to due to her Apostle status, and Matias, who is also used to it because of his newfound fame as a young Ranger.

'Your fight against the bandits was glorious! I would love for you to teach me how to fight like you.' A certain young man said to Matias.

'Thank Emroy and his apostle for his protection.' An elder said as he knelled to Rory.

Matias could only chuckle as he attempted to wiggle away from the amassing crowd.

Away from most of the action was Lelei reading from a datapad about the numerous sciences behind the UNDF's technology with Tuka on her left.

'Their cities are larger than even the Imperial Capital.' The young sorceress stated when she viewed the city of Paris, the metal-built tower catching her eye the most.

Then she came across an article from UNEN, titled _"PPDC announces new Mark-30 Jaeger: Cobalt Zingara. Deployment on Alpha Centauri in 2 weeks."_ which displayed a 3-dimensional image of the silver-cyan Yay-Ger.

'A civilization in the stars?!'

'Why yes.' Leo appeared to the right of Lelei. The hulking mass that was Matias' second-in-command was beginning to feel like an uncle to the girls, and he continued, 'Humanity began its rapid progress because of the Kaiju.'

'Like the Flame Dragon?'

'Indeed, but we didn't have Jaegers back when it started, so we lost many of our cities in the process.' Both Lelei and Tuka lost their questions upon hearing that.

'But nevermind that. Now, those Kaiju won't even touch a single soul now that we have our own monsters to fight them!' Leo gestured to the black Yay-Ger outside.

Now that brought a smile to their faces.

* * *

Come nighttime, Matias was given a personal room to rest inside the mansion.

He was exhausted beyond belief, and when he laid on his bed, he literally fell like a brick onto it.

Except, it didn't feel like sleeping.

Or anything, considering that he is looking at a frozen image of the world around him; The flames that made up the torches were completely still. He could only guess someone dialated time in his level of perception. That, and followed by an ethereal figure that appeared before him, who was looking at...his body?

Matias looked to his own body and saw that they were, in effect, transparent.

"Who are you?"

"I? I am Emroy, God of Darkness."

"What do you seek from me?"

"It is only natural that we seek an audience of a God's Scion from beyond the Gate."

"What do you know about Lugh?"

"Is that your father's name? Lugh?" That got a reaction, miniscule in scale, but still a corresponding one. "I see, the God of Skills. Of...Celtic Origin? You have several pantheons of Gods?"

"I don't know what you desire, but-"

"We desire an audience, Son of Lugh."

Matias quickly turned, finding a blindingly bright ethereal. He quickly looked back and didn't find Emroy, but rather, a large collection of clouds.

"Apologies, I am Flare, God of the Sun."

"Like Ra and Apollo? I have a cousin whose mother is the sister of Apollo."

The ethereal visibly shrugged.

"I've seen the pictures of your own world's star. Dazzling and wonderful, I must say."

"Since you gods apparently have a plan of convincing, I'll just get to the point: with whom do you desire an audience?"

"Your gods. We desire knowledge of your world. Those...titans, are quite powerful, and the Kaiju you needed to fight just as much."

Just as quickly, and to Matias' annoyance, the world around him shifted again, showing twins this time, whom apparently spoke in synchronization on two chairs reading books in hand.

"Why should I comply, La and Elange?"

"All we desire is knowledge. I'm not so sure about the others. Really, Matias."

"It is not a matter of should, Matias Cox." Matias realized his voice to be dwarfed by this particular entity. "I am Zufmuut, God of Light and Order, and in time, you will bring your gods over for an audience."

He could count the moment that have passed as he saw six other gods behind this one.

"And you will do so before the Gate closes."

The last thing he saw before he felt the drag was a developed woman. Matias realized who she was when they mutually touched each other; her peering into his mind, and vice versa.

* * *

His consciousness was apparently back in Falmart, staring at the ceiling. Just as the Gods have said, not one second passed since he spoke to them.

Then sometime after, the Ranger felt a body mass on top of him. He slowly opened his eyes to find the blonde-haired noble in a revealing purple negligee.

Certainly, considering his level of exhaustion, he thought it was a dream at first.

Then he realized that she was actually speaking in sensible words; dreams almost never do that, and thus he pushed her away in the middle of what he could only assume as a form of seduction.

Rather than backing away, the noble began to shake, and raised a hand in the form of a flat surface.

* * *

'And exactly how did THAT happen?!'

Pina was in the same room where she heard about the declaration of independence, now hearing about a literal act of assault by Bozes, unlike what happened yesterday as an attempted assault, as she was called to resolve this issue by Myui.

At this instant, Bozes is held in place by Clark as Matias attempted to soothe the pain that still exists on his face.

'It was me.' Bozes stated in what can be identified as guilt.

'Well, if its fine with you, we'll be returning to our world now.' Leo stated.

'No wait! Let me make it up-!'

'As much as I'd like to entertain you, princess, we have a standing order to report to the Galactic Alliance.'

Pina's mind blanked out for a moment. All the while Matias received a call from Alnus and delivered the message that supposedly came with it.

'Viceroy Myui, I've been informed that the United Nations of Earth seeks to establish diplomatic relations with your newfound nation. They are also extending a further invitation to the conference of the Galactic Alliance.'

'I will go to facilitate those processes myself. I'll make immediate preparations.' Myui looked to her two maids, Mamina the Warrior Bunny and Persia the Catgirl.

'As you wish.'

Pina didn't see Myui leave the room with the two maids before she finally snapped herself out of her trance of thought.

'Ga-Lak-Tik...Alliance?'

'A conference of numerous species who maintain control over thousands, perhaps millions of worlds.' Lelei explained with words as close to what the UNDF meant in Saderan.

Pina could only imagine the monster of a country that spans multiple worlds; the Empire, with all of its vassal states and territory was already the strongest in Falmart. But a collection of territories bigger than the known world? Anyone with a sensible mind would see only suicide in challenging the military might of such an entity, and they are at war with one of them!

'Then I shall go with you!' Pina essentially ordered herself. 'Let me converse with the Ga-Lak-Tik Alliance so that we may lay down groundwork for further dialogues!'

'...Anyone have something to say about that?'

The Ranger's words were only met with swinging head motions, and thus he radioed Alnus Base again.

Midday approached, and with only what the superstorm left behind in the form of rain, and perhaps a large quantity of wind-carried seeds, Myui and her maids, alongside Pina and Bozes, rode in the not-as-cramped backseat of the LAV with Lelei, Rory, and Tuka, and zoomed towards Alnus Hill.


	8. History Lesson

13:12 PM, December 1, 2137

The sight before Pina and Bozes perhaps perfectly consolidated the UNDF and its government as the biggest military power in their world.

She knew that the UNDF had the Yay-Gers, but some part of her was hoping that they only ever had three of those titans; she is seeing more of them!

When her vehicle passed the metal walls which seemed to make the UNDF's border, she saw an orange-yellow Yay-Ger; passing them moments later was a massive line of trucks carrying what looks to be metal beams.

She looked back to find a green-themed Yay-Ger, a grey one, and a purple one; an explosion from up front drew her eyes to a Yay-Ger she recognized: the one that launched fire and magic into the Behemoth's mouth, which subsequently killed it.

The rods on its hand were firing in conjunction with what looked like land-based versions, which she saw back in the defense of Italica.

'Those rods. Are they some kind of advanced magic?'

While she intended to be a thought outloud, Lelei took interest and proceeded to correct the princess.

'No. They are weapons, a product of science.'

'Science?!'

'Indeed. While the intricate mechanics are an enigma as of now, the most basic concept of their weapons involve either using an explosive to cause a metal slug to fly out, or using 'mag-net-is-um' to concentrate blue fire and launch it as a projectile.'

'And every one of them, soldier or titan has one of these?!'

'I believe it would be right to assume so.'

Pina went silent as she saw every blast from the Yay-Ger obliterate what she soon realized were wyvern corpses stripped of their scales and anything else of value; that would explain where those three got their scales.

'Your highness, look!' Bozes called from her side, and Pina followed her eyes to see an even more horrifying sight.

'A flying...FORTRESS?!'

'They call it the Aerial Mobile Shatterdome, a class of flying ships.' Lelei blandly stated, already knowing what the two were referring to.

'THAT IS NOT A SHIP!' Bozes bursted out, garnering the attention of the people inside the vehicle, even those who expected it. 'THAT IS AN ENTIRE CITY IN THE SKY!'

'And the UNDF have built something that will allow it to move.'

Pina's eyes then shifted to the wall which defined the center of the UNDF base, all the while thinking how she failed to see the flying fortress before Bozes did.

'Why are they attacking us?'

'The UNDF was attacked, and they retaliated by decimation.'

'You shall not speak ill of the Empire! They will have your head!' Bozes spoke, perhaps out of sheer reflex for whomever insulted the Empire.

'I belong to a tribe of nomads known as the Rurudo. We never had any ties with the Empire, nor will we ever establish one.' Lelei deadpanned in light of Bozes' words.

'Yes! And I am an elf!' Tuka cheerfully proclaimed.

Rory didn't need a reason as to why she shouldn't comply with the Empire's orders.

Still looking outside, Pina watched as the triple-layered gates opened up for 3rd Recon.

'I suppose conquering by force will only harden the heart more...'

* * *

Inside where Pina, Bozes and Myui could only assume is a waiting room, they had subtly inspected the numerous trinkets which were displayed on the walls, the numerous books adorned with colorful drawings and even the furniture themselves.

After a short wait time, Lelei entered the room, with her tag hanging from a neck strap, alongside a young man without much adorning his chest.

It has apparently come to Pina's attention that the UNDF doesn't exactly practice adorning their leaders with jewels and precious metals, which meant that this man, though young, could be one of the highest-ranking leaders, maybe even the highest ranking one.

'Princess. Viceroy. This is General Vakhrov Gaspar Leonidovich.'

"I was caught off-guard when I heard that you have decided to meet with us, francea Pina."

After any immediate response, Lelei translated, which had become her official job in UNDF ranks as she was paid in UND (United National Dollar).

'Even so, you have readily accommodated our sudden arrival.'

"True. Well enough of idle business. I understand that you have come to have an audience with the Galactic Alliance Conference that will take place in several solar cycles. Is that correct?"

'Yes. I seek to lay down groundwork for future dialogue concerning the future of the Empire.'

"Well, I am certain that the Nalzaeds are more than willing to provide for a few extras, but they'll still need to know your arrival. We shall now discuss the details."

'Yes.' Pina responded, looking to both Bozes and Myui on her sides. 'That would be ideal.'

* * *

It was dinnertime for the refugees.

Matias, after dealing with stacks upon stacks of paperwork regarding his involvement in the Siege of Italica, managed to join them, alongside delivering Lelei back to the camp.

During so, Lelei asked about the world which would be her destination by tomorrow.

"You want to know about Coruscant?"

At this point, Lelei and most of the refugees had already learnt English, so as to hold easier conversations, and fewer broken translations of concepts nonexistent in the Saderan tongue.

"Yes. We are going there tomorrow. It would be nice to know what to expect." Lelei reported her intentions, and Matias complied

"Let's start with how it looks like."

From his side pocket, Matias brought out a projector which displayed the Galaxy. He used his fingers to zoom in on a part near the glowing core, which revealed a massive sphere dotted in lights and circular formations.

To Lelei and Cato, it looked similar to the magic formations which they would construct for their spells and conjurations.

"This is Coruscant. Known as the Jewel of the Galaxy. Its natives the Nalzaeds are effectively the strongest species we are aware of; one single Nalzaed is supposedly capable of wiping out an entire solar system should they need to.

"Well, I believe that the best part to start about is how its natives came to be:

Billions of years ago in the genesis of the galaxy, the species now known as the Nalzaeds evolved from their primal forms, and when they gained sentience, the first leaders called their world Coruscant. For the first thousand years of their existence, they've fought in a brutal war, until one visionary saw potential in wisdom and unity instead of brutality and conflict. He was known as Jehovah, the First.

Having spread his enlightened knowledge to the rest of his kind, the Nalzaeds agreed to follow his vision for the future. Since the beginning of their newfound peace, they've focused on all forms of development, and soon they've blurred the line in between technology and biology; the Nalzaeds used their biotech to immortalize themselves, empower each other with immense abilities, and took to the stars to foster new life.

Anywhere they arrived, they planted the seeds of life so that their developments would accelerate. And soon, these races including humans propagated the galaxy, and because how advanced they were, we called them our gods.

Millions of years later, every species that had developed spacefaring capabilities were led by galactic maps scattered across the Galaxy to where is now Coruscant. It is on that ecumenopolis where all species are introduced to the Galactic Community, its most recent arrival being humankind.

Even today, Jehovah presides over the Heart of Coruscant, watching over the countless lives that inhabit his galaxy while his reach stretches further into the vast universe."

Lelei stared at the holographic projection of the planet. Then a thought dawned on her.

"Why didn't he help your world when the Kaiju attacked?"

"It is in their own doctrine that a species is to be left alone after ten thousand years of guidance, until they are capable of space travel. They found it to be harmful should a species not attempt to save themselves."

That made sense to the refugees. Other questions followed afterwards, and soon the sun had set, prompting a very tired Matias to sleep within the same room as Lelei.

* * *

Coruscant was a the most developed planet in the galaxy for good reason; its position in the center of many trade routes allowed for them to become a literal center of trade, greatly outpacing any other potential center of the galaxy.

Inside the halls of the Silver Fortress, where embassies and governments of other worlds made their office, a figure clad in white and brown robes moved forward and he stepped further inwards.

He was Lugh, and he was summoned by Jehovah to his chamber where the Heart of Coruscant was housed.

After passing the last set of doors, Lugh kneeled as his eyes looked to the floating figure basked in light.

"Jehovah, the First. You have summoned me. I am here now."

The figure slowly turned until his closed eyes were visible. He tilted his head down as he descended. His immediate line of sight after opening them revealed Lugh, a place in time without him there, and the end of the conversation he will have with his fellow Nalzaed in a few moments.

"Lugh. The Galactic Alliance Conference is upon us. In precisely 12 Earth hours, your kin shall arrive on Coruscant."

Lugh could only bulge his eyes out as he realized what he meant. "Matias, my son?"

"Yes. He shall be followed by his partner Clark Avery, his subcommander Leo Tarasov, and eight otherworlders."

"From beyond that 'Gate' thing on Earth? But we have yet to survey that world."

"There is no need to do so. I already have. When I see with my eyes-"

"It is with the infinite eyes that populate the galaxy. Sometimes I forget exactly what you could do, but you must allow for us to do something without foresight for once, Jehovah."

"I have nearly failed humanity when I turned a blind eye to their world and left them at the mercy of the Precursors. I permitted them to continue building Jaegers so that it wouldn't happen again. But if they or any species threatens another with them, a thousand deaths will not save them from my wrath."

Lugh knew that all too well; Jehovah cares for the races of the galaxy perhaps too much. When he realized humanity was besieged by the extradimensional Precursors, of which he has been repelling from Coruscant and any other inhabited planet since his ascension, his sight had slipped for a moment and allowed them to invade Earth. When he realized that, he motioned to save humankind from extinction, but when he felt the drift technology which controlled the Jaegers, he also felt a sense of hope.

After that, he witnessed as humankind journeyed to the stars much faster than any race that came before them, and their eventual admission into the Alliance he oversees.

"I understand. I shall take my leave now."

With that, the one humanity called the God of Skills departed in waiting for the arrival of his son.

* * *

10:00 AM, December 2, 2137

Matias sat leisurely while clad in his formal black Ranger uniform. On to his sides was Clark in a matching clothes and Leo in the UNDF's variant.

All three of were seated inside a V-104 with Lelei, Tuka and Rory on their side of the craft, while Pina, Bozes, Myui, Persia and Mamina were seated directly across.

'Apologies, sir Matias. I though we were going to your world today.'

'We are. Just not through the Gate.'

'...Huh?'

A relatively large whirring sound could be heard as the wings were retracted, bringing its wing thrusters to just next to the hull itself when it began to tilt upwards.

"Engaging sublight thrusters. Ascending."

A massive burst of thrust jolted the interior for those who were not used to it. The Falmartians who were interested turned their heads to look outside of the craft, realizing that they were leaving the ground at an impossible speed.

In time, the edges of the world hand bent into a circular shape, and soon Lelei saw her world as a floating sphere in an infinite void.

That was not to say the large fleet of ships that greeted the V-104 in spaceflight mode.

Even for Lelei, she was entranced by these ships, and Pina watched in terror when she realized that the UNDF could easily obliterate the Empire even without sending forces to where they could hit them.

No, the UNDF could very well destroy them from the heavens, and there would be no way for the Empire to counter that.

'What has the Empire brought upon us?'


	9. To Coruscant

10:30 AM, December 2, 2137

"And, we're done!"

Not long ago, Matias and co stepped foot onto the Voyager Space Station. Of course, the Falmartians were reasonably surprised, especially by the Molecular Forge which they happened to pass by.

Matias briefly explained how all matter is made out of atoms, and that the Molecular Forge changes individual atoms into other molecules, where Clark literally explained it as making stuff from the air itself.

All sorts of events and tours of the space station led up to where they were now, with Lelei watching as her Dee-Enn-A was being analyzed by machines from her blood.

"Why do you need my Dee-Enn-A?"

"Identification." Matias answered. "Every individual has characteristics that separates them from each other, from a simple fingerprint pattern to your own mind's specific pattern of thought. One thing that would be ridiculously hard to replicate would be your DNA."

"Ooh!"

As the data is being compiled, Matias glossed over the new entries and noticed that Rory's species was listed as half-human and half-unknown.

Before he could actually ask what that meant, he had been informed that their ship had arrived. On their way to the docking station, Matias took notice of the ship's hull designation and name: ENTERPRISE.

"They sent the Enterprise for us?"

Whatever this Enterprise seemed to be sounded important when Matias spoke its name.

"What is the Enterprise?"

"Pride of the UNDF Navy. A Super Battlecarrier."

That was all Pina needed to hear while she stared at the massive guns that were on it, and its sheer size only made it worse. With their tags updated with DNA identifiers, the Falmartians had entered the ship much quicker as they situated themselves in the command deck.

Amidst all of the technology, one of them looked their way.

"Greetings. I am Matzen Fynn, Captain of the UNDF SBC Enterprise." Matias saluted him just as he did the same.

"We'll be under your care." He looked back to the Falmartians. 'Get comfortable. It'll take a few minutes to officially reach Coruscant.'

All of them focused on the windows where they began to drift away from the Voyager.

"Set course for Coruscant." Matzen inserted his key, which authorized jump ignition. "Away in 3..."

A bubble began to form around the ship, surprising the Falmartians.

"2..."

Knowing that she was about to go faster than light, Lelei held onto Matias by his coat.

"1..."

Everyone on the ship experienced a jolt as the ship vanished from Fantasian orbit.

* * *

Being the daughter of a Nalzaed who was the namesake of a Human Goddess means extended fame in galactic society, especially when you happen to be related to Matias Cox.

She is known as Keti Thyia. Today, she is standing at the orbital spaceport Uranos awaiting for the arrival of her cousin.

A while ago, she has been designated as their guide, considering that she's spent more time on Coruscant than anyone else from Earth.

Her telescopic vision, courtesy of her mother Artemis, let her spot the Enterprise before anyone else did.

* * *

Those few minutes on the Enterprise was perhaps the newest experience to the Falmartians followed immediately by them witnessing the planet Coruscant.

As Matias has explained, the world DID in fact look like a jewel compared to the void around it.

'What...is this?'

But apparently Pina and Bozes have not been informed of what Coruscant is.

'This is Coruscant. The entire planet is one massive city, covering all 240 million square miles of surface land, extending beneath it to its core and upwards into outer space. It's still growing.'

By the time they stopped pondering, they found themselves on a conveyer belt. On the way, the group passed by a wall of lasers, then on the side wall displayed a portrait of each and every one of them as well as their name.

Each and every one of them flashed green.

At the end of the conveyer belt was a comparably hulking figure, even to Leo, and a petite female figure with a bow on her back, and both of them lightly tipped his head as he began.

"Matias Cox. Jehovah foresaw your arrival."

"He most certainly has, father." He bowed to Lugh, then turned to the female. "Honored cousin."

Matias looked back to his group, most of them unaware of who she is before he began, 'This is Lugh, my father. On Earth we call him the God of Skills.'

'And this is Keti Thyia, daughter of Artemis and my cousin. She could see up forty thousand leagues and precise enough to hit someone dead center using her bow.'

'A pleasure. I presume you are Lelei La Lalena.' She looked to the blue-haired one. Lelei responded with a nod. 'Tuka Luna Marceau' The blonde one. Tuka had no response. 'Rory Mercury.' The black haired one. Rory seemed to attempt gauging her strength as she felt that divine aura, the same type she had felt from Matias in fact. "Leo Tarasov." She watched as the Russian slightly tipped his head. "Clark Avery." The South African acknowledged. 'Pina Co Lada.' She gulped as she realized who this was. 'Bozes Co Palesti.' She realized the body she had under those robes. 'Myui Formal.' The young lady initiated a small gesture. 'Mamina.' The warrior bunny gave a small smile. 'And Persia.' The catgirl also smiled.

"Jehovah wishes to see you all."

* * *

After a brief ride down from the space station via its elevator, the group boarded what appears to be a hovering vehicle formed from morphable bio-tech, seeing how it changed its own composition to best comfort its passengers.

It was actually an afterthought as they gazed upon the ecumenopolis they are passing over. Yet all that awe is dwarfed by the massive structure they approached. It didn't matter whether or not they lived as nomads their entire lives or inside a castle, as the Silver Fortress in front of them dwarfed any city they're familiar with. In front of a massive arch leading inside were two mass-produced Jaegers and in two straight lines leading to the arch half-a-dozen Jaegers holding either equally large swords or spears.

The group began to walk as the vehicle deformed on a platform. It almost didn't cross the Falmartians' minds as they moved into the fortress, passing through numerous doors that equate to palace grand entrances, and into a chamber where a warm light bathed anyone there. Anyone not familiar would look around for what to expect, except those who looked to Matias, who kneeled, prompting others to do the same as they continued to question why.

"Matias Cox. You have come."

They looked to the blinding light, where a humanoid figure descended.

"I am Jehovah. Many in this galaxy call me the God Emperor, the Prime Ancestor, the Creator of All."

Pina tried to look into his eyes, and all she saw was what can only be described as infinite wisdom. Yet it wasn't fear that washed over her; it was warmth, the kind a loving parent like her father has in his spare time alone with her. To top it off, she didn't even need to think to understand what he was saying.

"Lelei La Lalena. Daughter of Ruthel. I am aware of your father's tyranny via your memories. If only I was there to cease his ways."

"Tuka Luna Marceau. Daughter of Hodor. Your survival appears to be preordained by the multiverse from which you originate. It's almost as if you are the kickstarter to a grand journey."

"Rory Mercury. Daughter of Alan. You status as a demigoddess of your world informs me of a pantheon's existence. I will make preparations to contact them personally."

"Myui Formal. Daughter of Colt. I am delighted that you seek peace in a state of war. It shall be resolved, with both worlds in benefit."

"Mamina. Daughter of Alina. Your queen has sacrificed much for nothing. His atrocities will not go unanswered."

"Persia. Daughter of Selena. Many admirers of benevolence seek you. Bask in it."

"Bozes Co Palesti. Daughter of Callus. I see a bright future in the divergence. You would be wise to maintain it."

"Pina Co Lada. Daughter of Molt. Loyalty is without question a great virtue. Unfortunately, it will result in disaster when misplaced."

One thing that all eight of them noticed is how they heard that inside their heads. Lelei looked to Matias, who seemed to be hearing Jehovah with a different set of words.

"The Galactic Alliance Conference will be upon us tomorrow. I suggest some rest and preparation for the conference to come."

* * *

For the humans of Falmart, but more specifically in Sadera, any entity that looks inhuman in even the slightest way, such as a darker skin tone, a sharper ear, or with non-human features, tended to attract attention.

Their current tour on Coruscant had it the other way around for them.

While the capital of the Empire was mostly populated by humans, mostly attributed to how quickly humans reproduce, they were among the many that lived side by side on Coruscant, without any apparent racism and supremist ramblings no less.

'So to recap again, this is Coruscant, a melting pot of culture, worlds, and empires across the galaxy.' She gestured to a patrol of three grey-skinned humanoids clad in what looks to be military-grade armor with wrinkled skin, but not the kind you'd find due to old age. All of them were holding glowing guns. 'Those are the Zathurans. Disciplined, military-ruled, and trained from birth to be warriors, but make no mistake; they're fight only for peace. They're also the ones who operate those Jaegers in front of the Silver Fortress.'

A blue floating feminine figure slightly bumped into Rory as she rushed. The figure turned back apologizing in what she can only assume as her native language.

'She, Miss Rory, is a Naa'Lizuz. They generate a bioelectric aura that they could use to levitate themselves and project electricity. Their natural habitat is in water, so they require their rebreathers to move outside of it. Note that their biology is incredibly resilient, even when unarmored.'

A hulking mass that was most certainly the size of giant ogres back in Falmart passed them. He had carapace armor that seemed to grow out of him.

'That is, by far, the toughest species in the galaxy: The Khunkre. Adaptive and hardy, the Khunkre are hard to defeat, their only weakness being relatively low intellectual capabilities. But enough of that for now.'

Keti stopped in front of a massive building spire, noting to each of them their intended lodgings for the next few days.

* * *

Lelei woke up next morning in an honest-to-the-gods divine-feeling bed.

'Good morning, Miss Lelei La Lalena.'

Immediately she was caught off guard by the surround sound, partially wondering if she was still asleep as that usually doesn't happen. Then she remembered that it has been a few weeks since she began to stay with the UNSF, and now she was on Coruscant, which according to Matias was the most advanced in their galaxy.

She could already tell, with how her solid surroundings morphed to her liking; right now, it looked like her room Master Cato's dwelling, which had been her home since she left Mimosa back in Rondel, although the window that looked into the planet-sized city of Coruscant immediately told her she wasn't back.

A little bit of stretching accompanied by a nearly inaudible yawn was what started her day, followed by a relatively short shower, a habit retained from when she had a lack of water to do so, putting herself into her green dress and blue tabard, taking her staff from Rondel along, and headed into the living room.

Just before she left though, she felt something talk in the back of her head, the kind that promoted calm instead of fear.

_You are needed and with potential, Lelei La Lalena._

* * *

_"FATHER!"_

Tuka woke up in cold sweat. Fortunately for her, it was early in the morning when she did, or at least for the part of Coruscant she is in, as she had learnt yesterday.

Like she had heard yesterday as well, their room of accommodation changes itself in correlation with what would be most comfortable for its occupants. For her, it was a recreation of the treehouse that was her old home, which she was comfortable in for sure.

Then her mind shifted to the time when her father Hodor Marceau busted into their home and hastily attempted to evacuate the village just as the dreaded Flame Dragon attacked them.

She woke up just as she recalled being thrown into the well by her father to escape the dragon's fire, and the next time she knew herself as awake was when she saw the Yay-Ger Rogue Tarragon tear its head off.

She still held hope, albeit borderline psychotic in nature, that her father was still alive.

But today she was to appear in front of a governing body unrelated to the Empire of her world; today she speaks in front of the Galactic Alliance of which the UNDF are part of.

* * *

If there is one thing Rory has always done every day since her ascension to the Apostle she is today, it is waking early and making her prayer.

She bit back a complaint about her not being able to see the sun for this purpose; apparently the room she was in was reformed into a dark environment, which was exactly where she felt most comfortable, but she wanted to see the sun regardless.

Then the room warped so that she was exposed to the outside of the building, a balcony included, and she was left intrigued again.

She kneeled down and brought her hands up to enact a prayer, then a voice came into her head.

'You are quite loyal, Apostle of Emroy.'

The instant she opened her eyes again, she was sitting in a chair facing what she could only describe as a cloud of darkness.

'I presume you have some relation to Darkness, War, Insanity, Death, and Violence?'

'I'm more attuned to Darkness. My name is Erebus.'

'So it would seem.' Rory reached for the tea-filled cup in front of her, a light sniff confirming the lack of poisons, that she knows of, and a distinct lack of hostility. She drank it slightly to further her confirmation before fully partaking in it.

'You bruise my feelings to have even considered I invited your astral form to my abode only to perform an assassination. I assure you, Rory, if my intention was to do that, you would've been dead the instant you set foot on Coruscant.' Erebus commented, 'Although considering your current situation, that much caution is warranted.'

'How so, Lord Erebus?'

Rory could've sworn she saw the Nalzaed in front of her raise an eyebrow before he continued, 'The people of the UNE were not exactly left with the best impressions of the Falmartians, much less even consider letting another group of them through that Gate of yours without being led in chains. The fear that they might sabotage your transport from Earth to here is proof that those kinds of groups exist.'

Rory only gave a sly smile in return as she placed down her cup, now just noticing that she handled it despite being in astral form.

'I'll refrain from calling you out of nowhere like this again. See you at the Conference.'

When Rory blinked again, she was in her state of praying, slight hints of sound from her sides enough to tell her that the others were awake.

Now, she had another world to speak in front of. How many Apostles could say they've done that?

* * *

Seeing how comfortable she was in bed, Pina instinctively called for her maids only to have a not-so-human sound talk in response.

She had a room to herself, as did everyone else, and as absurd as it sounded when Matias' cousin said that their own rooms would change to fit what is most comfortable, she silenced herself and continued to admire. She herself wondered if she could appeal to Jehovah and potentially have this installed inside her chambers, but that will have to wait.

Today is when she will appear before this Ga-Lak-Tik Alliance and cull any possible misunderstandings and resentment.

...But what was she going to say? Obviously, she had doubts on whether or not the UNDF's claims are true, who she would have to meet in that room, even the potential for her to actually persuade them to whatever plan she has. From what she has seen of Jehovah, he had most likely realized some of her intentions, which was quite evident when her Holopad, uncertain whether she remembers the name right, came with a message that details Jehovah's intentions to visit the Empire himself.

Part of her hoped that she could use his visit to gain a favor. And in that visit, his ability to keep the Empire safe from harm as well.

* * *

Bozes could recount the parts of her life that involved Pina and the Rose Order of Knights from the instant she began to play soldier with the princess.

Officially, the order was that of an honor guard, as in the Emperor established it for decorative purposes. Even though their only experience in combat, barring Pina, Norma, Grey, and Hamilton whom were at the Siege of Italica, had ended in a bright flash of white, they were quite confident in their ability to fight against even their own Imperial troops.

Then she saw the titans, or rather Yay-Gers, which the UNDF employed and all sense of invincibility that came with being part of the Empire's forces crumbled.

_HOW DO WE BEAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!_ She thought mentally every time she attempted to envision a victory for the Saderan Empire; of the six times she tried, the Empire was beaten all six times.

But if she and Pina could appeal to one of the representatives which she would see in the Conference to come, what's to say that they couldn't turn the tide against them?

Even with that thought, Bozes struggled to see any positive outcome.

Time to ride out the storm, as the Imperial Navy's captains have once said.

* * *

Both Persia and Mamina slept next to their mistress, now Viceroy Myui Formal.

In her state of rest, Persia wondered what Jehovah meant that many desired her. Is it because she was female? But considering how different the UNDF and their compatriots think, what is to say that their admiration was sexual only?

For Mamina, the mere mention of her late queen had angered her. She knows subtly that Jehovah was not to blame, but what did he mean by 'sacrifice'? The fact that she betrayed her people to serve as the slave of that wretched...crooked...BASTARD OF A HUMAN!

...But something had told her that Jehovah knew something about the demise of the Warrior Bunnies that she didn't.

Perhaps...?

'Mhm...'

All of those thoughts were put aside when they dressed themselves in an appropriate attire, while in waiting for Myui to rise. They had wasted no time to make their mistress presentable to the Ga-Lak-Tik Alliance, as in the realm of politics, they have learnt in their time with the Formal Clan, first impressions are everything.

* * *

The event that was breakfast came and went for the group, who were now standing just outside of the Conference Building.

A quick look by all of those present had confirmed some new ship designs in orbit and in atmosphere, which was an equivalent of other species.

Lelei had several thoughts in her mind that she attempted to answer herself, before Matias noticed and started talking, "There are at least 40 million species that are part of the Galactic Alliance. That's how many representatives we will see in the building."

An answer that only led to more questions?

* * *

**I admit that I had lost interest in writing fanfictions while writing some of my more original stories, not that I have stopped planning for future events, however, for both this and my other attempts.**


End file.
